Magic and Shadow
by Magister Fay
Summary: Her role had always been to be the treacherous witch of villainy and scorn, and she had always played that role. But now, she has been given a chance to start anew, and this time, she will do it right.
1. Prologue

I don't own Fate. Fate is the property of Type-Moon, and no financial gain is made from this or is sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Magic and Shadow

Prologue

"Well…" Caster said as she materialized in the middle of the summoning circle. "…this is embarrassing, to be summoned by a child of all people."

It certainly explained why the link between Master and Servant was so weak, the little girl with the bleeding hand cowering on the rough stone floor barely capable of providing the prana to summon her. Sustaining her and allowing her to fight…would probably not be possible.

She'd need to find a secondary source – or sources – of prana as soon as possible.

Caster looked around her, and her expression soured. Just the stench of death filling the place made it clear that this was not a good place to be, a sentiment reinforced by the iron cage hanging over the pit…a pit that was filled with abominations. Her eyes turned back to her Master, who was looking up at her with a mix of fear and desperate hope.

And then she looked at the hunched old man who was looking on incredulously. "That answers that I suppose." She said coolly before turning back to her Master. "What's your name child?"

"I-I-I'm Sakura." She replied, and Caster nodded slowly as her staff appeared in her hand. This was going to cost her dearly in terms of prana, but she wasn't going to stand aside and watch a child be fed into some weakling magus' idea of familiars. She'd killed her children, but that was only to spare them from a darker fate.

"I see…" she said while leaning down and grabbing Sakura's arm before pulling her to her side. The old man's eyes widened and he took a step back. "…do you want to stay here?"

"No!" the girl shouted in fear and with a glance at the pit. "I-I-I'll do anything! Just take me away!"

Caster smiled…and then flashes of light lashed out, and Sakura screamed in fright. One beam blew right through Zouken's torso, the magus crumpling to his knees even as a second beam blew a hole up right through the mansion and opening a path through to the sky. Holding Sakura close, Caster soared up, her black cloak fluttering around her. "Hold on tight…" she said as they alighted on the roof. "…this might be a bit uncomfortable."

Sakura assented, clutching at her tightly in fear, and with a whispered word Caster collapsed space and vanished from the Matou property.

Beneath them, in the ruined mansion, Byakuya Matou rushed to check on his father. He found Zouken calling on his worms to repair his damaged body. Fear of a Servant's wrath – a Servant impossibly summoned by a child – was replaced by anger at being thwarted. And Byakuya would bear the brunt of that anger.

* * *

Her Master had fallen asleep during the spatial translocation – or more likely had fallen unconscious due to a combination of shock, fear, and prana exhaustion – and leading Caster to survey the city on her own while carrying the slumbering child on her back. "_Mother Gaea…_" she had thought to herself at the time. "_…if anyone I knew would see me right now…Medus would never let me live it down._"

As it was, she had been running on fumes after escaping with her Master and she had needed a fresh source of prana. Fortunately the land was well-endowed with ley-lines – as might be expected from a city chosen as the site for the grand ritual to summon the Holy Grail – and it was child's play to find the convergences of those ley-lines.

One was a church…definitely not a place for her to go to, much less set up shop in, considering that it was the stronghold of the Overseer of the contest.

The second was an incomplete building located in the heart of the city. Also out of the question, given its vulnerability and utter exposure.

The third was a temple located on top of a mountain at the outskirts of the city. Something about it had felt suspicious too her, but she didn't think of it at the time, deciding to investigate it for later. More importantly, it was far enough out of the way to avoid drawing excessive attention, and it was more defensible too. As with her investigation though, that would have to wait until after they'd settled in.

Caster hummed softly but thoughtfully as she examined her Master's command spells, the girl sleeping and partly-tucked into a futon provided by the monks. Oriental gods were generally-speaking gentler compared to their western counterparts, and their devotees reflected this. It had been child's play for Medea to play the part of an abused spouse and child, and to impose on their hospitality by means of their sympathy despite the lateness of the hour.

"_I see…_" she thought as she ran a finger over the command spells, the Servant of the Spell sitting with her hood down beside her Master. "_…despair and terror make for powerful catalysts, and the Grail took notice of it and granted her command spells and me, deeming her worthy to participate in the contest. But considering her limitations, it's also a joke in poor taste._"

Caster sighed and leaned back. Prana absorption was slow, and she'd have to work on that as well when she had the time. She also had to take control of the ley-lines, and speed up prana collection _before_ the contest could properly begin and other Servants began to appear. Once that happened she had to cut back on her operations to avoid drawing attention.

"_I'm not so foolish as to fight an open battle without a distinct advantage._" She said with a slight smile. "_There's no point in fighting a battle if it doesn't end in victory._"

Frowning thoughtfully, she reached out and stroked Sakura's face. The girl murmured in her sleep, turning towards her and pushing her cheek against Caster's hand. Caster's eyes widened, and her face turned sad. "Where are your parents, child?" she asked. "Why were you there? Why did I have to save you?"

* * *

Morning light streamed in through the windows, and Sakura slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times, her mind trying to catch up to her situation. And then the memories struck, of a black-eyed old man dragging her unwillingly to a pit filled with worms…of her fighting back…of her falling to the floor and cutting her hand…and then the voice in her head.

The voice had asked her how far she was willing to go to be saved.

She remembered answering that she would give everything to be saved.

She remembered the woman in black and purple appearing in silver light as she gave her answer.

With a gasp Sakura Matou sat up, and Caster materialized beside her, and causing her to flinch. "Good morning." Caster greeted her, and Sakura relaxed.

"G-Good morning." She hesitantly replied, and regarded her savior. She was a beautiful woman, maybe even more beautiful than her mother, with long purple hair and pointed, elf-like ears poking through her hair. And while Sakura was a child, she did grow up in a magus household. She knew enough to recognize what was mundane and what was not, and the dangers involved with the latter.

_That's not normal. She's probably a magus. But…she saved me, didn't she?_

"Now then child…" Caster began. "…your name is Sakura, am I right?"

Sakura nodded, and Caster smiled softly. "It's a nice name." she said. "It suits a little girl."

"Thank you." Sakura replied. "W-what's going to happen now?"

"Well that depends on you." Caster said. "Personally I'd like for us to stay together until things quiet down, since that should be safer and better for us both in the long run. But if you want to go home…"

Sakura shook her head, tears beginning to flow from her eyes as she clutched herself. "Mama…" she whispered. "…papa…they didn't want me."

"Mother Gaea…" Caster whispered as she pulled Sakura into a comforting hug. "…I had hoped and thought that you'd been abducted against your will…but are you saying that your parents sent you to that place deliberately?"

Sakura nodded against her chest, and Caster felt wrath erupt deep within. She was a murderer and a traitor there was no doubt about it, but even she had lines she would not cross. "_What could possibly drive parents to send their child to that place?_" she silently asked herself aghast. "_Feudal obligation…? How could they? That's no different from letting my children die in torment by the mob's hands! Death would be and was a blessing in disguise! Could they have been ignorant of the true extent of the situation? Even so, that's no excuse!_"

"Please let me stay…" Sakura whispered. "…I…I don't know you, but you took me from that place. You'll keep me safe, won't you?"

Caster nodded, rubbing Sakura's back. She intended to use her Master as a bargaining chip with regards to negotiating for the conduct of the war, but now…

_It seems that I'll have to fight this war on my own._

"I will." Caster whispered. "I'll keep you safe, and together we'll win this war. We'll get everything we want, and more."

Sakura continued to cry, but clutching at Caster even tighter now. Caster continued to comfort the distraught child, but already her mind was at work. Not just on how to fight and win – which she'd been doing all night while drawing in prana from the ley-lines converging under the temple – but now also on how to teach Sakura's parents a lesson about responsibility.

And it would be a lesson that they would **never **forget.

* * *

A/N

I've got author's block for my works already up, as well as for on-the-table works like _Jaehaerys III _and _Magister of Zero _(see my profile for the details of these stories), so I've decided to go with this.

Originally I was going to go and make a rewrite of _Legacy of the Ancients _by Count Valerian, but I ultimately went for Guardian of Zero. Now don't get me wrong, the idea is great, and the writing is good too, but the progression, characterization (in particular character derailment of certain people) is problematic at times. Hopefully my version will be able to avoid those issues.

With that said, I look forward to reactions and constructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 1

I don't own Fate. Fate is the property of Type-Moon, and no financial gain is made from this or is sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Magic and Shadow

Chapter 1

Soft shoes padded on the stone pavement as Caster entered the front grounds of an apartment complex. The cloaked woman looked around a few times, but apart from the unconscious guard at the gatehouse – already drained of most of his current life force – and her retinue of Dragon Tooth Warriors there was no one around.

A cage carrying a fat pheasant was carried in one hand, while her other hand held her staff. She gestured with the staff, and her retinue marched forward and entered the apartments to start collecting prana. As for her…well she had work to attend to on her own. After all: the apartment complex was built almost on top of a node of a ley-line.

Caster's staff tapped once on the ground, a magic circle burning itself into the cement with the hiss of melting stone. Releasing her staff – which remained floating in the air beside her – Caster carefully opened the cage and took the pheasant out. As she dropped the cage on the ground, she pulled out a ritual dagger and slit the bird's neck, blood falling and hissing onto the still-hot magic circle.

Instantly the atmosphere changed, becoming thicker and denser as tendrils of fog appeared out of nowhere, coiling from the shadows and around the trees and bushes. Other tendrils slowly swept past her, bringing with it unintelligible whispers and murmurs. They swept over the magic circle, which glowed faintly as the fog hungrily ate up the blood.

Without a word Caster tossed the bleeding corpse into the fog, and causing cold green flames of corposant to erupt around the corpse as it landed on the ground. Caster felt the atmosphere shift even further and she quickly grabbed her staff and struck the ground once. "_Seal…!_" she commanded in Greek, and the circle flared once, the fog swirling in agitation before dispersing in an instant.

Only the cooling magic circle was left smoking slightly on the ground, along with the pheasant's corpse lying completely drained of blood on top of it. Caster reached out, and smiled as she felt the ley-line answer her inquiries.

She then looked at the apartments, and with a shrug turned to depart. There were still several hours before the dawn, and it was best to take advantage of the time and let them gather prana for her. As for her, she'd taken control of the individual ley-lines, but she still needed to tie them to her for good.

That could only be done at one of the convergence points, and she'd set up shop at one of them. As she passed over the threshold she paused, sensing that one group of her Dragon Tooth Warriors across the city was under attack.

"Interference…?" she whispered, and then she chuckled. "Well you win some and you lose some. I suppose I can let them enjoy this paltry victory."

Still chuckling, Caster wrapped her cloak around herself and teleported herself back to Ryuudo Temple.

* * *

One of the skeletal warriors was literally blown to bits as Kirei punched it…and then another…and then another…the priest steadily advanced down the corridor, the slow and ungainly magical constructs barely worth his notice. Oh they could be dangerous given their numbers, but given his training and experience as an Executor…

As it was he deftly avoided clumsy sword swings with slight shifts of his body, every step forward accompanied by a series of punches that left the ground scattered with crushed bone. Or at least, it felt and sounded like bone.

"Kirei-kun…" Tokiomi said from behind him, and he risked halting his advance, the remaining constructs holding their ground a short distance before him.

"Master…?"

"There are unconscious individuals in the adjoining rooms." Tokiomi said as he hefted his cane. "Deal with them."

"Of course…" Kirei said with a bow before retreating. As he turned his back and Tokiomi stepped up in his place, the skeletal warriors pounced. Tokiomi merely smirked and gestured, a magic circle coming to life above the jewel on his cane. Dragon Tooth Wars were blown apart they came close, and after a moment Tokiomi levelled his cane down the corridor.

"_Intensive Einascherung…_" he said, and the remaining constructs burst into flame. As they collapsed crackling onto the floor, leaving naught behind them but ashes, Tokiomi turned and followed after Kirei. "…well?"

The priest rose from where he'd finished healing an unconscious man. "Their life force has been drained." He reported. "But while I cannot replace what has been taken, I can however ensure that their lives are in no way at risk."

Tokiomi nodded. "Very well…" he said, already turning to continue clearing out the building. "…alter the memories and secure the lives of the people on this floor, and in my wake. I will move ahead, and we will rendezvous on the rooftop."

"I understand, my master."

* * *

Sakura winced as she watched Caster sacrifice yet another animal – a pig this time, stolen from a piggery just outside the city – and then watched in horrified fascination as its heart burned with cold green fire in her hand. The magic circle on the floor glowed even brighter as the sacrifice resonated with the other sacrifices made elsewhere in the city earlier in the night, and Sakura also felt the shift in the atmosphere. She shuddered in a mix of curiosity and fear.

_That was not normal._

Caster observed her reaction with approval, though for the moment she focused on the sacrifice, and mentally using herself to focus the ritual's effect: namely binding together the numerous sacrifices that she'd made throughout the night into a single magic system centered on her fortress at Ryuudo Temple. She didn't have to wait long, as the flow of power through the ley-lines shifted and settled, the heart in her hand burning away and the green flames flowing like water to engulf the dead pig at her feet.

Sakura watched in morbid fascination, since the eldritch flames didn't burn the pig's flesh…they simply lapped up its blood, its very essence instead. A hand on her shoulder jolted her out of her reverie, and she looked up to Caster's neutral face.

"Are you afraid, child?" she asked. Sakura thought for a moment, and then she gave a slightly-embarrassed nod.

"Yes…" she said. "…a bit."

Caster smiled. "That is good." She said approvingly. "It is always useful to maintain a little fear to things that are beyond the scope of men. That fear is your friend it sharpens your reflexes, restrains impulsiveness, and warns you about the dangers of going too far. Respect that fear, cherish it, and use it to temper your judgment...and you will know no fear."

Sakura tilted her head in confusion, and Caster chuckled. "Confusing isn't it?" she asked figuratively. "I don't blame you. After all I did say that you should accept your fears, and then you will know no fear. But answer me: can you defeat an enemy, without an enemy?"

"What?" Sakura echoed in confusion. "No, of course you can't…oh."

"Precisely…" Caster said with a nod, and then she and Sakura paused as the flames went out, and the ghostly whispers faded along with the thin fog that had filled the room almost unnoticeably. "…before you can overcome your fears, you must know and acknowledge them. Only then can you face them, and then go beyond them. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded. "I think I do." She said, and Caster nodded.

"Good…" she said, leading Sakura away from the ritual chamber. "...a respectable amount of fear is something that you will find useful as a magus."

"Will you teach me?" Sakura asked, brightening up at once.

Caster smiled mischievously. "A little." She said, and Sakura just as quickly pouted.

"Only a little…?"

Caster laughed and patted her on the back. "So young and yet so eager to seek the truth!" she said. "But while it is not wrong for you to think big, one must start small. Big things start from small things after all. And before one can walk, one must first learn to crawl. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes." She said, and Caster nodded.

"Good." She said. "But that is for another time. It is late, and it does not do for children to stay up so late."

* * *

"Caster is certainly aggressive in his or her prana collection activities is he or she not?" Risei asked as he conferred with Tokiomi and Kirei at Kotomine Church after they had finished clearing out one group of Caster's minions. "I have made arrangements for the attacks to be covered up as gas attacks. I assume that you altered the memories accordingly."

"Of course…" Tokiomi said. "…however even between Kirei and I, we cannot cover the entire city on our own. Given that Caster possesses a large number of familiars I do not doubt that we are barely denting his or her operation to collect prana. Of course every little helps."

"Of all the Servants to be summoned first…" Risei grumbled. "…why did it have to be the Caster?"

"There is no point in wringing hands over what has been done." Tokiomi countered. "We cannot change the past, and as such we should focus on the future."

"Caster has withdrawn into Ryuudo Temple on Mt. Enzo." Kirei reported. "The temple's original defenses have apparently been augmented, though to what degree I do not know. I would not recommend an assault on his or her territory, not without Servants of our own at least."

"And even with Servants of our own…" Tokiomi said. "…there is no guarantee that a battle with Caster would not end in victory without losses for our side. Attacking a magus in his or her own territory is a most risky venture. At best our Servants would be exposed for who they really are through the use of Noble Phantasms. And at worst, Caster could use a failsafe to destroy us along with him or her."

"A conundrum indeed…" Risei opined. "…even more so given that Caster has not actually killed anyone, nor has the contest properly begun, and as such I cannot censure him or her with my authority as the Overseer."

"Perhaps we could just let him or her go for now?" Tokiomi mused. "We will do what we can to curtail his or her operations, and summon our own Servants as soon as possible just in case he or she takes umbrage at our interference. Personally though, I am of the opinion that Caster is merely stockpiling prana for the coming contest, while there aren't any Masters in a position to oppose him or her."

"True…" Risei conceded. "…your family has been stockpiling gems for what, fifty years now, to prepare for this war, has it not? Caster is probably doing likewise."

"And when other Masters and Servants start appearing, he or she will probably draw down or even stop operations." Tokiomi concluded with a nod. "There's no need to draw too much attention to ourselves while our backs are exposed. In the meantime I will deploy as many familiars as I have to allow us to respond to his or her attacks as quickly as possible."

"We won't be able to stop them all…" Risei said. "…and we should be wary of a trap, in case Caster personally leads a sortie."

"A fair point..." Tokiomi conceded. "…I will decide accordingly to each situation as my familiars respond."

The priests nodded their agreement, and then Tokiomi then moved onto his next item of concern. "Has there been any word about the…incident at Matou during the previous night?" he asked.

"Unfortunately…" Kirei replied with disgust at the memory of simply talking to Zouken Matou. "…Matou is proving intransigent with regards to my requests for information."

"I can't blame him I suppose." Tokiomi replied. "Secrecy is imperative in magic after all. What of Sakura?"

"He assures me that she is safe." Kirei said. "However he has refused to display her or to disclose her location."

"Any thoughts…?"

"It's possible than an enemy Master broke into Matou and stole his catalyst." Kirei said. "The enormous damage to the mansion, as well as Byakuya Matou's recent hospitalization for critical organ damage all point to a massive battle of magic. And one that Zouken probably lost, given his disposition when I spoke to him."

Worry immediately crept into Tokiomi's mind. "_Zouken lost…_" he thought. "_…but what if it wasn't just a catalyst that was stolen…or it wasn't a catalyst that they were after…Sakura…what have I done?_"

Granted Sakura's enormous magical potential wasn't exactly advertised, but there were ways that otherwise sensitive information could get out. Tokiomi knew that quite well, given his spy within the Clock Tower. And the fact that Sakura, a spare child born to a magical lineage, was given away for adoption could be seen as evidence that she had something of value in her own right.

"Is it possible…" he began hesitantly. "…that Sakura was also a target?"

The priests jolted at the thought, and Tokiomi nodded slowly. "Zouken claims that she is safe." He said softly but with a hint of iron. "But unless he has proof, then I will have to assume the worst. Kirei, send out feelers for any sign of her."

"It will be done."

"And you Tokiomi?" Risei asked. "What will you do?"

"As the Supervisor of this territory I will do what I can to keep Caster in check." He said, his hand tightening on his cane. "And it seems that I have to contact an old friend."

He grimaced at that, as he knew quite well how _he _viewed magi and him in particular.

_I hope that Kariya's in a talking mood. He might prove useful here._

* * *

The morning shone bright over the city…and played over a little girl and a cat engaged in a staring contest on a wooden porch in Ryuudo Temple. A little boy about a year older walked around the corner and stared at them for several moments. Sakura blinked, and the cat mewled, unconcerned or uncaring about the contest at all. Sakura made an angry sound at losing, and the cat ran off.

The boy laughed at the sight, and Sakura immediately sat up and looked at him in surprise. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Sorry for disturbing you…" the boy said. "…my name's Ryuudo Issei. You're Sakura aren't you? You're that woman…um…Medea-san's daughter, aren't you?"

Sakura blinked. "_Daughter…_" she thought. "_…me…maybe it's just to keep up appearances but…I…I don't know. Would I want to be her daughter? She's a nice person but…_"

_She took me from there._

_Mama…no, Mrs. Tohsaka didn't say a thing when pa…Mr. Tohsaka sent me to that place._

_She doesn't care._

_Caster took me from there._

_Caster will teach me magic._

_Mr. Tohsaka always stopped me from trying._

_Would I really…_

"Sakura…" Caster called to her. "…oh hello…you're the Head Monk's son aren't you?"

Issei nodded, and Caster smiled in greeting. "Well I'm certainly grateful that your father allowed us to stay here until things quiet down…" she began. "…and while I wouldn't mind that you befriend Sakura, I need to talk to her now."

"Okay." Issei said with a nod and then glanced at Sakura. "See you later Sakura. When you have time, I should be around here somewhere. Bye!"

"Bye!" Sakura said genuinely and with a wave. Once Issei was gone, she looked up at Caster. "What are we going to talk about?"

Caster raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you want to learn magic?" she asked, and Sakura's face lit up.

"When do we start?" she gushed, and with a laugh Caster led her back to their room. A bounded field to prevent spies and eavesdroppers from looking and listening in was laid down, and then Caster sat down opposite her on a small table. A notebook and a pen sat on Sakura's side of the table.

"Now then…" Caster began. "…let us start with basics. Magic is first and foremost…"

* * *

A young man sat in a small apartment in a foreign city, typing away at a battered typewriter. The phone rang, and the man rolled his chair back and towards the window-side desk. He picked it up. "Kariya Matou speaking…" he said. "…how may I help you?"

"Kariya…" Tokiomi began, only to be interrupted at once.

"I've got nothing to say to you." he said, but before he could put it down Tokiomi managed to get in a few words that instantly froze his hand.

"Sakura's missing."

"What?"

Kariya had always regretted leaving Aoi behind even more so once he'd learned that Tokiomi had ultimately married her. But that didn't mean that he didn't care for their – or in his head Aoi's – children. He wasn't the type to blame others for what wasn't their fault.

_Well…his family and Tokiomi were exceptions._

"Apparently someone broke into the Matou mansion two nights ago." Tokiomi was saying. "Given the damage and your father's disposition, whoever they were they definitely came out on top. And while there's a chance that their goal was the Matou catalyst for the coming Holy Grail War, there's also a possibility that their goal was also to get Sakura."

"Wait…what do you mean to get Sakura?" Kariya said as the blood drained from his face. "Don't tell me…!"

"I would have thought it obvious. Given that she would have had no future as a magus in our family, when your father offered to adopt her…"

"You bastard…!" Kariya exploded while slamming his fist against the desk. "Do you realize what you've done? When, damn you? When did she go?"

"The same day as the mansion was attacked."

Kariya immediately ran the possibilities through his head. On one hand, Sakura could have been kidnapped. On the other hand…while magi in general were a bunch of assholes in his head, most were certainly more decent than the Matou.

_Of course Sakura would only be breeding stock to them…but compared to parasites…_

Kariya shuddered. "_Lesser evils…_" he thought angrily. "_…it need not get to this if that bastard Tokiomi did his job as a father!_"

"What do you need me for?" Kariya spat. "What would the great and all-powerful magus Tokiomi Tohsaka need from a renegade disgrace like me?"

"False flattery will get you nowhere." Tokiomi responded nonplussed. "As for why I need you, well Zouken claims that Sakura is in a secure location…"

Kariya's blood ran cold. Hopefully given the paranoid nature of magi there was only one facility for training but…

"…however I find that I cannot trust him with my daughter's safety in the wake of this exposure with regards to the weakness of Matou's defenses." Tokiomi concluded, and Kariya snorted.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"You grew up in Matou." Tokiomi replied. "You have insight into Zouken's mind that I do not have. And in the worst case…"

"You want me to help you break the news to and to comfort Aoi and Rin?" Kariya interrupted contemptuously. "You cowardly piece of…"

"Yes, and to the void with manners and propriety." Tokiomi interrupted him in his turn, only for his voice to turn cold. "And I would have thought that you of all people, who have never hidden your hatred of your bloodline, would pass up the opportunity as I pay Zouken threefold for failing to protect my daughter."

Kariya fell silent, and after a few moments a satisfied grunt came from Tokiomi. "Well Kariya…?" he asked.

"I'll get there as soon as I can." Kariya replied neutrally. "We'll have a nice long chat, and then we'll look for Sakura."

"Of course, thank you for your cooperation."

Kariya didn't bother to respond, instead putting the phone down at once. "_Funny…_" he thought to himself as he paced in a vain effort to reign in his temper. "_…since when did Tokiomi know how to use something as modern as a phone. Or more likely he had a lackey tell him how to use it._"

He came to a halt before the kitchen counter, and in an instant his anger at exploded, as he grabbed a glass and threw it against the wall. "Damn you Tokiomi!" he roared. "Zouken…damn you all!"

* * *

A/N

Anti-hero huh…? Well Caster's still draining people of their prana, but that should do for now.

One of my issues in _Legacy of the Ancients _was Medea performing blood adoption so quickly. It will happen here, but not yet for a reason that I will not disclose for fear of spoiling the plot. And yes, Sakura is studying magic, but only the most basic of Medea's magic which modern Humans can learn (without Divine Words she can't use Medea's core spells)…for now. Although that shouldn't be an issue given that it would be beyond suspension of disbelief if a six year-old girl starts spamming beams.


	3. Chapter 2

I don't own Fate. Fate is the property of Type-Moon, and no financial gain is made from this or is sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Magic and Shadow

Chapter 2

Sakura tied the helmet into place on her head, and after a final check of her uniform – and making sure the charms given to her by Caster were where they were supposed to be – and her school things, she ran out over the front grounds of Ryuudo Temple. As she passed the threshold, she paused, taking the time to look for a certain long-haired man. "Over here little lady." A voice called, and she turned towards its direction.

The man was sitting on a large rock on one side of the temple gateway, his long blue hair and archaic attire blending into the rustic environment of the temple surprisingly well. Of course that was part of his skill Presence Concealment, but from what Caster had told her it worked in a different fashion. Whereas the 'normal' Assassins – the incarnations of Hassan-i Sabbah – would normally be rendered invisible by their Presence Concealment (even to Caster's own magical detection), his skill only allowed him to blend into the surrounding environment. As such, if one knew what to look for, he would be noticed.

Sakura however felt that 'blending in' was better than invisibility.

"Good morning Kojiro-san." She said with a bow, and Assassin nodded in reply.

"Good morning to you too." He said. "Do you have your charms?"

Sakura nodded, and reached into her blouse and pulled them out. There were four of them, one to render her invisible to magical detection (comparable to a 'normal' Assassin's Presence Concealment at least in magical terms), the second to render her unnoticeable to certain individuals (i.e. people connected to the concepts 'Tohsaka', 'Kotomine', and 'Matou'), the third to increase her luck (just in case), and the fourth to increase her magic resistance.

The last charm was actually her own creation, the first mystic code she had ever created. Caster had offered some constructive criticism about it, but overall it was a satisfactory result. Sakura was very proud of that achievement.

Assassin nodded, and she tucked them back into her blouse. "Well then little lady…" he said with a smile. "…off you go then, and be careful."

"Yes!"

Sakura scampered off down the stairs, and Assassin stared indulgently after her. Despite his antagonism with his Master, he genuinely liked the little girl that was her Master, and just as genuinely hoped for her safety. At the same time he reminisced about his first encounter with her two months ago.

* * *

_The Servant that had appeared was a Japanese man with long purple hair tied back in a ponytail that reached to his waist, wearing traditional Japanese clothes with coloring to match his hair. An unusually-long katana was sheathed on his back, with the hilt within easy reach over a shoulder._

"_Assassin…Sasaki Kojiro…" he introduced himself laconically, and Caster nodded. Sakura watched from her side, intrigued by the samurai before them: like all Japanese children, she had a highly-romanticized view of ancient Japan's famed warriors._

"_Assassin…" Caster said. "…I initially had different plans for you however after a brief study of your parameters it would seem that I will have to change my plans. The defenses of the temple have but a single weak-point. You with your Saber-class skills in the area of single combat will be tasked with plugging that gap."_

"_Will I now?" he asked with a smile. "And pray tell, why should I obey your orders to be a glorified guardsman? Or for that matter, why should I even obey a woman like you?"_

"_I am your Master." Caster snarled with narrowed eyes, and Assassin narrowed his eyes as well._

"_Are you now?" he asked as he reached for his katana with lightning speed, and Caster's command spells flashed to life. The air tensed with danger and imminent combat, but before either could complete their intended actions however, Sakura had quickly stepped in between them._

"_Wait!" she shouted, and both Servants froze. Caster had no desire to harm her student and Master, while Assassin had no desire either to stain his proud sword with a defenseless child's blood._

"_Sakura step out of the way." Caster said chidingly, at the same time as Assassin said his piace with a similar tone._

"_Its dangerous child, you should step aside."_

"_We're all supposed to be on the same side!" Sakura all but shouted back. Caster raised an eyebrow in surprise, but equally impressed by this unexpected show of strong will. "We shouldn't fight like this!"_

_Without breaking a beat, she turned to Assassin and gave a formal bow. "O-samurai-sama…" she began. "…I apologize if we offended you in some way, but please share with us your strength, even if we have little to offer you."_

_She bowed again, and Assassin stared at her for several moments. And then he broke out laughing. "Well this is certainly a surprise…" he said with a hint of nostalgia. "…I never expected something like that from a child. Perhaps this wasn't a total loss after all."_

_Assassin relaxed, as did Caster. Assassin patted the still-bowed girl on a shoulder, and she looked up at him with a mixed expression of hope and anxiety. "Very well…" he said to Caster. "…I will accept my post as your guard. However I have two conditions to make."_

"_Name them." She replied._

"_One: should I ever engage an enemy is single combat, you are not to interfere, even on the verge of my demise." He said. "Feel free to engage any other enemy in the vicinity, but not the one I will be facing. That is my price for offering you my sword."_

"_Very well…" Caster agreed through gritted teeth. This was not an optimal situation, but at least Assassin would serve her desired role, even if his first condition made him vulnerable due to lack of support all for the sake of his warrior's pride and honor. And there was still his second condition to be considered. "…and your second condition…?"_

"_This little girl…" he began. "…what is her name?"_

_Sakura bowed again. "I am…" she began only to pause. A shadow fell across her face, fear and resentment chasing each other before she regained her composure. "…Sakura…my name is Sakura."_

_Assassin raised an eyebrow but didn't press the issue. He was perceptive enough to realize that there was more to this than met the eye, but he saw no need to inquire further. And it wasn't like family betrayal and all that were unknown to him, having lived through the war-torn times of ancient Japan._

"_My second condition is simple." He said. "I wish that Sakura speak to me at her leisure."_

_Both Sakura and Caster alike looked surprised, while Assassin strode over to the window and gazed up at the Moon. "I have no desire for the Grail." He continued. "I have no real reason to fight. However this child intrigues me. I would enjoy the pleasure of her company at times."_

"_The pleasure of her company…?" Caster echoed dangerously._

"_Do not misunderstand me." Assassin quickly said with an air of offended dignity. "I have no ill intentions towards her that much I can assure you. All I seek is to fight a battle wherein I can use my secret sword technique as much as I can, and to converse with someone who I genuinely like."_

_Caster pursed her lips, still not fully convinced about whether or not to accept his second condition. She glanced at Sakura who gave an encouraging nod. A moment passed, and she made her decision._

"_We accept your conditions." She said. "But be warned: should you make any untoward actions, then I assure you that your retribution shall be swift and just."_

"_And I would rightly deserve it…" He agreed with a nod. "…and now that we've reached an agreement, what do you need me to do?"_

* * *

"Ah Kariya…" Tokiomi said with a pleasant if reserved smile as Kirei led the man into his living room. Aoi was there as well, as Tokiomi knew quite well how much Kariya detested him. Hopefully her presence – along with Kirei – would keep him under control. "…welcome…you were delayed by distance and circumstance, but now that you've arrived…"

"Spare me the platitudes…" Kariya cut him off angrily, ignoring Aoi for the moment and causing her welcoming smile to fade. "…first of all I want to know what the hell possessed you to send Sakura to Zouken!"

Kirei gave a minute glance at Tokiomi, who responded just as minutely in the negative. As the priest settled down, Tokiomi returned his attention to Kariya. "An easy enough question to answer." He said. "You know as well as I do that both my daughters have great magical potential. However you also know that there can only be one heir for every generation of magi. Rin has already been chosen. Sakura's talents would have gone to waste, a fate I would not wish upon her, both as a magus and as a father. As such when your father offered to make her the Matou heiress, how could I possibly refuse?"

"That rule is only a general one!" Kariya countered. "Sakura could have been a supporting magus to Rin! And don't you dare try and say that they could start a feud between them! Those two sisters are too close for that! Even if there was competition, it would only have encouraged them as magi! Couldn't you see that?"

"Of course I did." Tokiomi scoffed. "Unfortunately it would still not have ensured that Sakura would reach her full potential. As you say: she would only be ancillary to her sister."

Kariya ground his teeth and clenched his fists in anger. "I can understand that you want her to succeed as a magus." He conceded grudgingly. "But couldn't you have chosen someone more decent?"

"Decent…?" Tokiomi echoed.

"Yes!" Kariya exploded before turning to Aoi with such fire in his eyes that she recoiled. "You are responsible for this as well! I warned you over and over again: do not go near my family! Do you really think that I didn't have a good reason for that?"

"Kariya…" Tokiomi said in warning. "…leave my wife out of this."

Kariya just laughed. "Trying to cover for her?" he asked mockingly. "Well you're her husband, so I suppose that's your duty isn't it?"

Tokiomi pressed his lips together with irritation. "That is correct." He said neutrally.

"Then it's also her duty to advise you!" he erupted again. "You both grew up in magi households! We all did! Did you really think that I had no reasons for leaving Matou? Or for all the warnings that I gave to you Aoi?"

"I…" she said. "…it's not my place…"

"Oh damn it all!" Kariya shouted, taking a step back and beginning to pace in an effort to cool down.

"Reasons…?" Tokiomi echoed coolly after several moments. "What rational reason could there possibly be for you to turn your back on your heritage?"

"What rational reason would there be for a father to send his daughter to hell?" Kariya spat back.

"Hell…?"

"You bastard…" Kariya snarled. "…didn't you even bother to try and find out what your daughter would be getting into?"

"It is not my place to question the methods and mysteries of other magi."

"Oh really…?" Kariya asked skeptically, and Tokiomi actually looked a bit abashed.

"Very well…" he conceded. "…Matou is an old ally of the Tohsaka. To pry into their mysteries would be most discourteous."

"Enough about them is known in the Clock Tower…" Kariya ground out. "…their methods are essentially torture."

"Hyperbole…" Tokiomi said dismissively. "…the use of magic causes pain and numbness as prana flows through magic circuits, and during the implantation of crests. There are also references to engraving mysteries directly to the body, but considering that's what crests are, I saw no further need to investigate. Indeed, all evidence points to Matou magecraft…"

"You ignorant piece of shit…" Kariya interrupted. "…and a pathetic excuse for a father…"

"Careful Kariya…" Tokiomi said angrily while rising from his seat. "…even my patience has its limits."

"Then why didn't you do your job as a father!" Kariya roared, and Kirei and Aoi immediately moved to restrain him and Tokiomi in a heartbeat. "You're a brilliant magus but you couldn't even extend the same level of attention to your family? To your own flesh and blood…?"

"Enough…!" Tokiomi said. "It seems that bringing you into this was a mistake. Kirei get him out of my sight!"

"It's worms, you fucking moron! Parasites…!" Kariya exploded as Kirei tried to drag him out. "That's what engraving means!"

"What?" Tokiomi asked, taken aback as Kariya shook off Kirei.

"Matou training involves getting thrown into a pit as deep as a man is tall, and filled waist-deep with Zouken's worm familiars. They enter the body through orifices or by eating their way into it, and then 'engrave' the Matou mysteries by forming a parasitic relationship with their host. For males this seriously shortens the life span. There's a reason that reincarnation magecraft is or rather was studied extensively by my family, Zouken's obsession with immortality aside. As for females…"

Aoi collapsed shaking onto the floor, while Tokiomi was pale and shaking. "Go on…" he urged with a weak voice. "…what happens to female magi?"

"The worms are ravenous." Kariya said coldly but with a haunted expression on his face. "They devour the flesh of men and convert it to prana. In return they make for easily-reproducible and modified familiars as well as increase the efficiency of one's magic circuits. But this will kill a man within a short amount of time. Women however…it's different. They don't consume the flesh of women. No, the fate is worse. The worms…they will…drive a female host's libido into overdrive, to seek out sexual pleasure as a means to generate prana…"

Tokiomi collapsed into his chair, his cane falling unnoticed to the floor. "Sakura…" he whispered in horror. "…what have I done…by the Root…what have I done?"

"Why?" Aoi asked, her eyes shining with tears. "Why didn't you just tell us? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Do you really think that Zouken would have allowed me to get away with that?" he answered. "Would you have believed me outside this situation? Whose word would you have trusted had not Sakura been the crux of it all? Me, a good-for-nothing who turned his back on his lineage, or Zouken, your old ally…?"

"Zouken…!" Tokiomi said with his eyes ablaze with anger. "You will pay for this treachery!"

"Hopefully her 'training' never properly began." Kariya said darkly. "You claimed that she was kidnapped the same day she arrived at Matou. Either the beginning was interrupted, or it was prevented from even beginning…there's that at least."

"Tokiomi…" Aoi said weakly, openly crying now and clutching at him. "…Sakura…we have to find her! I…I…she's just a child! If…if that had happened…she could hate us…please…we have to…we…I…"

"Kirei…" Tokiomi said, turning to the priest who shook his head.

"I'm sorry." He said. "But we can find no trace of her. It's as if she's vanished off of the face of the Earth."

"Magic…" Kariya hissed. "…or someone pulling political strings…or both…Tokiomi…!"

"Calm down…" Tokiomi growled while trying to comfort his wife as best he could. "…whoever took her isn't the only one who can use magic or has connections. I will find my daughter, and whoever took her will pay for any harm or wrong done to her."

"And Zouken…?"

Tokiomi smiled very coldly. "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

* * *

"Indeed…" Caster echoed as she watched them from her sanctum in Ryuudo Temple, the gathering visible on the glowing globe in her hands. "…little man, the only absolution you will find for your mistakes is death."

Caster had to admit though that the man's reasoning – as a magus – was perfectly justified. But his arrogance grated on her nerves and his actions as a parent were utterly abominable. On the other hand, Kariya Matou – whom Sakura had spoken of fondly – seemed like a decent man, and she perfectly agreed with all his points. He was to be rewarded.

"_He likes that woman. That Aoi Tohsaka…_" Caster thought darkly. "_…it would make a fitting reward and punishment for all concerned…but could I really inflict something so twisted on her?_"

The decision was made in but a few moments of thought, and without any lack of surprise for her.

"_To Hades with it…_" she thought. "_…I've already done so much, what are a few more drops of blood and weights on my conscience? And she certainly deserves something like that inflicted on her, that pathetic excuse for a mother._"

Cancelling the spell, Caster rose and returned to where she had been preparing the materials for tonight's lesson with Sakura. As she worked, she considered her student. Her efforts were commendable and her dedication to learn was genuine, but…

"_She can't grasp the full perspective of what I'm trying to teach her._" She though sadly. "_Not without Divine Words...I could use __**that**__…but…I genuinely like her…but can I trust her with that power?_"

Trust did not come easy to her, and Caster bit her lip as she reiterated her decision.

"No…" she whispered. "…not yet…not until I'm sure that she's worthy of that gift. And if not…"

_It's not like it would be the first time that I would be disappointed._

* * *

"That's as far as you go." Assassin said as he appeared before the temple gates, his sword unsheathed and held low before him. And if it weren't for the fact that it would be most discourteous to do so, he'd have cut the old man down before him already.

The old man was short, and dressed in traditional Japanese clothes. He was bald with grey skin and black eyes. And it wasn't just his irises: his eyes were entirely black.

_This is not someone to be trusted. And his appearance…this man shames the clothes that he wears._

"I have business in the temple." The old man insisted.

"No doubt you do." Assassin returned. "But as the gate guardian of the temple, I have the authority to decide who passes and who does not."

"And who gave you that authority?"

"That is no concern of yours."

Zouken Matou sneered and took a step forward…and froze as Assassin's killing intent saturated the surrounding area and wisps of prana began to wrap around him. "You're a Servant!" Zouken gasped.

"Indeed I am." Assassin confirmed. "My Master commanded me to guard this gate, and while I would not strike you in the back should you choose to retreat, if you press forward then you will taste cold steel. Choose swiftly, little magus."

Zouken ground his teeth in anger. "Answer me one thing…" he rasped. "…does Sakura Matou reside here?"

"I know of no one by that name." Assassin replied.

"You lie."

"You impugn my honor?" Assassin asked coldly. "Know your place commoner, or I shall strike you down, weapon or no."

Zouken scoffed, but he knew that until he summoned a Servant of his own there was nothing that he could do. But he would remember this. "Pass on a message then…" he sneered while turning to leave back down the stairs. "…inform Sakura and Caster that I expect my dues to be paid."

Assassin said nothing, and after another moment Zouken left. "_Gods…_" he thought as he watched the old man leave. "_…that man makes more than a few witches and warlords I once heard tale of look humane by comparison. He reeks of death, and not of death in battle. He reeks of death by corruption. Someone like that should burn._"

He waited until Zouken was gone from sight, and then sheathing his sword he turned to the trees on one side. "You can come out now Sakura." He said, and after a moment an anxious-looking Sakura emerged from hiding. She'd barely returned before Zouken's arrival, and only her charms had kept her from being noticed as she made herself scarce.

_Which begs the question: how did he know Sakura and Caster were here?_

"You should see Caster and warn her about this." He said, and the little girl nodded before running – fright barely masked – past him and through the threshold into the safety of Ryuudo Temple. Assassin stared back down the stairway, and after another moment returned to astral form.

* * *

A/N

Time-skip two months, and Assassin is still Kojiro.

Kariya meets with the Tohsaka, and I hope it went as well as can be expected. Of course given that Caster is spying on them, and considering her identity, you can guess that her magnanimous opinion of Kariya is not necessarily a good thing.

Zouken meets Assassin, and they clearly don't like each other. Question then: if Zouken launches a swarm assault up the stairway (the bounded fields on the mountain beyond the stairway would probably raise merry hell with Zouken's control over his familiars) could he break past Assassin? Not that it would earn him much as Caster wouldn't take kindly to such an intrusion, but what about Assassin?


	4. Chapter 3

I don't own Fate. Fate is the property of Type-Moon, and no financial gain is made from this or is sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Magic and Shadow

Chapter 3

Caster was angry.

That in itself wasn't unusual. She was _always _angry, though she usually kept it under control. She was angry at the gods for manipulating her. She was angry at the world for always putting her in a situation where she had to choose the least of possible evils. She was angry at herself for making those choices. And now she was angry at herself for making a simple mistake that she should have seen coming.

That mistake was simple: Sakura alone was shielded from being tracked.

Oh it wasn't perfect, and Caster knew that it was inevitable that Sakura would eventually be found. That was just how the world worked, and Caster remembered reading something from the temple's small collection of written works about a man named Murphy and a 'law' he postulated stating that anything that could go wrong, would go wrong.

_There's still some wisdom left in this modern era. That's good to know._

And now it seemed that something **had **gone wrong. She, Caster the Servant of the Spell, had been tracked. And through her, Sakura had been tracked as well.

She had prepared countermeasures of course. The first wasn't much to her liking, but surprising even herself she had told Sakura that if things went wrong she would use a command spell to bring her to Sakura's side in an instant. Then there was the charm which increased Sakura's luck statistic (Caster had made a mental note to quietly take it from her once she was older, as she didn't particularly want Sakura to draw attention and to get a bad habit by taking advantage of it and cleaning out the gambling establishments of the modern world called 'casinos'), and of course the magic resistance-increasing charm that she'd made.

That last wasn't exactly optimal, but with its 'unorthodox' – at least with regards to modern Thaumaturgy – base, a charm that would normally only provide the equivalent of D-rank Magic Resistance provided C-rank Magic Resistance. Between enhanced luck and relatively high-level magic resistance, Caster was confident that she had ample time to get to Sakura's side in case of an emergency.

The only problem was: she'd prepared all those in the expectation that any search would be focused on finding her student and Master (the contradictions of that statement still made her head hurt).

Right now though, she needed to bolster the temple's defenses, especially since of all people to track her and Sakura it had been that walking corpse which had tried to feed Sakura to his pets. It wasn't surprising in hindsight though: he knew her (or as much of her that could be learned from seeing her once), and had correctly predicted that as any proper Servant – though Caster had a different reasoning herself – she would focus on protecting her Master before herself, and would thus more likely expose herself than her Master. But by exposing herself, he could then find her Master.

_I __**really**__ should have seen that coming._

And now she was walking under the evening sky, towards the temple gates. Assassin was seated cross-legged over the threshold, a clean but used plate at his side along with a pot of tea all on a simple wooden tray. The blue-haired Servant was sipping a steaming cup of tea while watching the Moon, and he turned his head to look at her as she approached.

"I suppose you have a good reason for interrupting my Moon viewing?" he asked, and she snorted.

"Don't be impertinent." She said. "I could have Sakura stop bringing you food you know, though I doubt if I could stop her from talking to you."

"She'd just sneak the food to me regardless." Assassin countered with an unconcerned shrug. "And are my conversations with her all that bad?"

"No." Caster grudgingly conceded after a moment. "I suppose not. And I have to thank you for that."

The tone in which the last statement had been delivered a trifle sour, but there was genuine gratitude in it, which definitely surprised Assassin. This was not something that he had expected from his Master.

"Gaining one's ends is not enough…" Caster quoted as she lowered her hood. "…one must gain them _right_ as well. I strongly doubt a six year-old girl is capable of such profound wisdom on her own."

"If something is worth doing, then it is worth the time to do it well." Assassin replied, and Caster nodded.

"I agree." She said. "That girl…it is my sincerest desire that she not repeat any of my mistakes. I am a sinful woman, no matter how much I try to rationalize and to justify my decisions. It would not do for her to gain all my power and knowledge, if only to repeat my mistakes."

"You are too harsh on yourself." Assassin countered. "To know your sin is to have no sin."

"Perhaps…" Caster said with a smile. "…at any rate thank you. Your wisdom will help her move in the right direction."

"I certainly hope so." Assassin agreed. "There is nothing more wretched and tragic to see the bright promise of youth fade away into dull waste. I am not nearly as wise as she thinks as I am, which you know quite well, but I will do what I can to see those cherry blossoms bloom in full flower."

Caster chuckled. "Yes, I suppose we can agree on that point." She said, and the two fell silent for several moments. It was Assassin who broke the silence.

"You need something more?"

"We've agreed that I would not interfere in your fights…" Caster responded without preamble. "…but I would not have you go into battle unsupported."

Caster paused and held out a pair of charms. Assassin raised an eyebrow. "Those are…?" he asked.

"The first will increase your magic resistance to A-rank, comparable to the Saber-class." She explained, and then held up a hand to forestall any objection. "I understand that you might find such…assistance as unworthy of your status. But consider this: magic resistance provided by an amulet is arguably no different from physical protection afforded by wearing battle armor. Surely there is no shame in that is there?"

"No, I suppose not." Assassin conceded after a moment, as he took the charm and placed it around his neck. "And the second one…?"

"You probably won't agree to use it…" Caster answered. "…but I have to try at least. It will boost all of your statistics to levels comparable to a Saber-class."

"You are right." Assassin said with a nod. "I will not use something like that. My skills alone should suffice, and if they do not, then so be it. I will not accept triumph which I have not earned based on my own strength."

"Hopefully that won't inconvenience us." Caster responded wearily, before she scattered powdered bone in the wind. Assassin didn't react as prana flowed and Dragon Tooth Warriors spawned all over the mountain and hid in the shadows of the trees. "I'm placing these constructs under your command. I'm sure they might of some use."

"Indeed they will." Assassin agreed. "Magi may try to take the long route up along the mountainside, since Humans are not affected by the bounded fields on the mountain. Rest assured I will endeavor to repay the trust that you have placed on me."

Caster nodded as she turned to leave, leaving Assassin alone. The Servant of Assassination sipped at his tea – still pleasantly warm – and resumed his contemplation of the Moon.

* * *

Tokiomi stood by the phone the following morning, still uncomfortable at making use of modern technology. He vowed that as soon as he had the time to spare – between searching for Sakura, preparing for the war, training Rin, overseeing clan affairs, and plotting with Kariya he didn't really have much free time – he'd devise a more appropriate means of communication to the same effect by means of magic.

At the moment though he was trying to assuage Risei's concerns about Caster finding out about the Greater Grail located beneath her territory in Ryuudo Temple. "Yes Risei…" he reiterated. "…I'm aware that there's a good chance that he or she's already figured out what it is…no, absolutely not. Yes…yes…that's right I have every confidence in the system's own built-in defenses."

Tokiomi had no illusions that Caster – who it seemed was a **very **capable magus indeed – had already uncovered the true nature of the Grail. And surprising as it might sound, he wasn't all that worried. The Greater Grail's defenses were first-class, and in the event of improper entry – that is without a completed Lesser Grail at hand – it would self-destruct the system. And Caster - if he or she was as good as she seemed - would know this by now, thus serving as a deterrent against any attempts to access the Greater Grail.

Granted, it would probably take the mountain and a good part of the surrounding city with it, but it was better than risking the Association (or anyone else apart from the founding families) finding out about the Greater Grail. The Einzbern with their connections and influence could probably avoid extreme censure, but Tohsaka and Matou would probably face sealing designations.

_Well, he could care less about the Matou now._

The truth was that Kariya had already advocated that Tokiomi invoke his authority as the Association Supervisor for Fuyuki to seal Zouken. Unfortunately doing so would require that Tokiomi bring in Enforcers to 'escort' Zouken back to the Clock Tower. He also knew too much, and Tokiomi knew better than to draw Association attention into the inner workings of their legacy.

Kariya had griped at that, and surprisingly enough so had Aoi. Both had quieted down though, when he had pointed out that if Zouken spilled the beans on the Greater Grail, then they would all be facing a sealing designation. Well maybe not Kariya given that he _was _untrained and his circuits were atrophied, but Tokiomi would probably be joining Zouken in a holding cell in London.

Aoi, Rin, and assuming Sakura was found would probably end up becoming breeding stock for whichever magus family in London wanted them. Needless to say, this was **not **a situation that any of them wanted. As Tokiomi began to finish the conversation, Kariya walked up to him with a grim expression on his face.

Kariya…Tokiomi had unexpectedly developed a grudging respect for the man.

Kariya had been raised as a magus, and no doubt much like Tokiomi he had been taught about proper magus values and such. And despite its borderline heretical nature, the Matou magecraft should have seemed an honor for anyone raised to see it as their rightful legacy. To turn their back on that, on limited immortality – Tokiomi had hypothesized based on Kariya's information that Zouken was the same man who'd helped build the Grail in the first place – and the significant wealth of their family all to preserve their pride and dignity as Human beings…Tokiomi surprisingly found it most admirable.

Not that he'd mentioned it out aloud – Kariya would probably have an aneurysm hearing it.

Nevertheless Tokiomi also knew that Kariya exposing the Matou secrets to him had effectively earned him a death sentence from his father. To his considerable discomfort – and to Rin's delight – Tokiomi had decided to harbor the man in his home.

"Yes…yes…we want no troubles…very well make it so."

He put the phone down and looked at his boarder. "Yes…?" he asked.

"The worm is waiting outside the gate." Kariya said in disgust, and Tokiomi raised an eyebrow.

"Is he now?" he asked as he hefted his cane and made his way down the corridor to the door. "What does he want I wonder?"

"Don't underestimate him." Kariya called after him, feeling a bit sick as he did so. But then again, the man had offered him his hospitality, and Kariya was far too decent to wish the man misfortune while imposing in his home.

Tokiomi's response was a cold smile.

* * *

"Ah Tokiomi…" Zouken greeted him as the man walked down towards the gates of the Tohsaka property. "…I would like to discuss certain matters with you."

Tokiomi's eyes made the briefest motion as he searched for Zouken's vehicle but there was no sign of it. It could just be driving around or…

_Zouken already knows about Kariya. He knows about my intent. If so, why is he here?_

…

…

…

_He fears me not. Of course…he probably has enough worms elsewhere to reincarnate himself, and he knows that I can't just brand him a Dead Apostle without risking complete exposure and disaster._

_Bastard…!_

"May I ask what those matters are?" Tokiomi asked aloud.

"Of course…" Zouken answered with a nod. "…it concerns our mutual…relative."

_He has nerve!_

"What about her?" he asked neutrally.

"It seems that I've finally managed to locate her." Zouken answered with an oily smile. "Apparently she's holed up with another magus at Ryuudo Temple. Also this magus is apparently a Master…"

Zouken's voice was blocked out of Tokiomi's mind as the words registered and his blood ran cold. Ryuudo Temple…Caster…Sakura…she was there! But why would…

"…as it is, it seems that I must once again impose on our old alliance if we are to reclaim Sakura." Zouken was saying. "And while considerable material was lost during the attack on my mansion, if I get her back now then perhaps I can get her training back on schedule."

_Over my dead body…!_

"Of course…" Tokiomi said with a bow. "…but such matters are not for discussions in the open. Perhaps we should do so in more private surroundings."

Zouken nodded, and Tokiomi turned to lead the way towards the mansion. He took a few steps, and as he realized that Zouken was not following – and therefore confirming his suspicions – he turned with surprising speed as prana flowed into his crest. A beam of compressed heat lanced from an index finger, blowing the left side of Zouken's chest apart and punching a molten hole through the wall on the opposite side of the street.

"Kariya's been talking…" Zouken hissed as he staggered back, his body knitting together as he did so. "…I suspected as much."

"Tell me Zouken…" Tokiomi began. "…do you really think I'm going to let you get away for lying to me? For planning to violate and defile my daughter with those disgusting worms of yours…?"

"What are you getting so worked up for?" Zouken asked. His body exploded into a mass of worms and insects, moving with ravenous hunger-driven speed towards Tokiomi. Tokiomi however simply took a step back over the threshold, and Zouken's familiars were literally blown to bits by the Tohsaka bounded fields. "You know as well as I do that familiars have always been the basis of our magecraft. And you should know enough about us that engraving our mysteries into the flesh is how we work. And yet you still consented to it all in the beginning."

Tokiomi growled, raising his cane and pointing it at Zouken, who smirked. "Well it looks like that the masquerade is broken." He said chidingly. "Ah well, watch that boy you've taken in Tokiomi. He's more trouble than he's worth."

"_Intensive Einascherung…_" Tokiomi whispered, bathing Zouken in flames. The man's eyes then widened ever so slightly as Zouken laughed even as his body burned away.

"Don't forget boy…" Zouken sneered. "…first come, first served. And I intend to hold to the bargain that we made."

"_Geh zum teufel…!_" Tokiomi exploded with rage, and Zouken's corpse flew apart in flaming chunks, his laughter echoing away into nothing. "_I might not be able to seal you..._" Tokiomi thought darkly. "_…but I will remember this, and I will destroy for you've done and tried to do…!_"

As he returned to his mansion he spotted Kariya and Aoi watching from a window. As he did, a flicker of an idea slipped into his mind. "_I __**will **__kill Zouken._" He thought. "_But afterwards…_"

* * *

"Amazing…" Aoi whispered as she took a step back from the window.

"He's a lot of things." Kariya said grudgingly. "But he's definitely a good magus."

Aoi looked at her old friend questioningly as he made a sound of weariness. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Zouken knows about my betrayal." He answered unhappily. "There's no way that he's going to let me get away with it. It looks like I'm stuck with you guys until Tokiomi finishes off that plague."

"Plague is right." Tokiomi said darkly as he walked into the room. "And like a diseased corpse, he deserves to burn. But I doubt it'll be easy."

"You'll have to get every last worm to be sure of his death." Kariya agreed.

"Not necessarily…" Tokiomi mused aloud. "…from what you've said Zouken's soul is distributed across his worms, but if so, then if we destroy enough worms, then we can dissolve enough of his soul to the point that his consciousness would cease and lose control over remaining familiars. And once they run of prana…"

"That might work." Kariya agreed. "But most worms are at Matou. And I doubt you'd be suicidal enough to attack him in his own territory."

"No, I am not." Tokiomi agreed. "We'll have to wait for another opportunity to draw him out, or we destroy his Servant in the coming war, and then with our Servant we storm his territory."

Kariya nodded, but Tokiomi decided to stay quiet on Zouken's revelation that Sakura was with Caster and his or her Master to himself. The bastard wouldn't leak something like that without an ulterior motive, and Tokiomi probably knew it already: while Tokiomi – with or without his Servant – would keep Caster and his or her Master busy, Zouken would sneak in and take Sakura.

_I refuse to play into his hands. Not now, and not ever again…!_

* * *

Sakura looked on curiously as Aichi Mizuko, her classmate and friend slumped onto her desk as the morning break began. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I hate math." The other girl replied. "All those numbers and symbols…it's making my head spin."

"Math is important you know." Sakura chided but with an indulgent smile. Mizuko just looked at her with as much sarcasm that a six year-old could have.

"I know that." She said. "But not everyone here can be as good in the subject as you."

"Y-yes…" Sakura stammered out, flushing with embarrassment. Surprisingly – or not – she'd proven quite good in the subject. But then again as a magus-in-training – and even before that as someone who'd grown up in a magus household – she did have a bent for analytical thinking that worked to her advantage here. "…but it's not like I like the subject either."

That was true as well. Sakura knew that math was important, but she had a preference for application as opposed to theory. She understood the theory though, but if only because knowing it was important to learn the how behind things working.

It was the same with magic. While Sakura preferred to apply what was taught to her – so far composed of making basic mystic codes and the fundamentals of magecraft – she still studied the theory as well as she could. It was important after all.

Sakura coughed as she reached into her bag and brought out a small container. "Well Mizuko-chan…" she continued. "…do your best. Anyway here's something that might help you cheer up."

"And what's that?" Mizuko asked, and then she really did brighten up as Sakura opened the container to show four fish-shaped Japanese pastries inside.

"It's taiyaki!" Sakura said happily. "The monks had cooked up some red bean paste, and Ryuudo-kun managed to get his dad to make some taiyaki for the two of us. Let's split two and two, okay?"

"Okay! You're the best Sakura-chan!" Mizuko gushed as she took two of the pastries. The girls ate in silence for a while, but as Mizuko finished her first pastry, she paused before starting on the second. "Hey Sakura-chan…?"

"Yes…?"

"Are you…I mean do you have an arrangement with Ryuudo-san?"

Sakura promptly started to choke, and prompting Mizuko to help. "W-what…?" Sakura asked afterwards.

"Well you live together don't you?" Mizuko answered. "I was just wondering if there was something between you or your families."

"No it's nothing like that all!" Sakura replied with a faint blush. She liked Issei as a friend but nothing more (and if she were honest the thought of getting married repulsed her at her current age). "Mom…mom and I just live there until things quiet down, that's all."

"I see. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Sakura shook her head in response. "It's alright." She said with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

Mizuko nodded and smiled back, and two of them returned to their meal.

* * *

A/N

DarkJackel: the helmet is part of her school uniform (Japanese elementary students have safety helmets as part of their uniforms), so yes everyone can see it. The charms…well if anyone saw them they'd probably just shrug them off as generic amulets worn around the neck.

'Guest': Chaotic Evil…yeah she definitely won't go down that path. OTOH, Sakura will be a proper magus here, so she probably won't be her canon Chaotic Good alignment either (and Caster is Neutral Evil so expect some minor influence from there). Right now I'm working on Chaotic Neutral for my Sakura, as opposed to Rin's True Neutral. Much like Rin Sakura will probably be morally grey, but unlike Rin Sakura will probably care less for rules, duty, and tradition and prefer to go her own way.

That's pretty much it for now, and I hope everyone is in-character. Yes, the battle was short, but seeing as Zouken wasn't really serious about fighting Tokiomi...


	5. Chapter 4

I don't own Fate. Fate is the property of Type-Moon, and no financial gain is made from this or is sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Magic and Shadow

Chapter 4

"You know…" Kariya began as he examined the female Servant, who stood still and silent in the Tohsaka living room before the three of them. "…when I think of a Berserker, this isn't really what I expect to see."

Tokiomi had to admit, Kariya did have a point. A young girl in a white dress and high-heeled, knee-high metal boots, along with red hair which partly obscured her face was hardly the expected physical appearance of a Berserker. At least the weapon fit the profile though, a large mace-like weapon that resembled a primitive generator. The magus looked at Kirei.

"I followed the altered summoning ritual as it was given." The priest said in his usual deadpan fashion. "I assure you that this is in fact, Berserker."

The other two men in the room traded glances, and after a moment Kariya raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not a magus." He said. "If you say that she's a Berserker, then she's a Berserker."

Tokiomi nodded, and Kariya moved on. "By the way, have you found any leads on who the Tohsaka Master must be?" he asked. Tokiomi looked at Kirei again, who shook his head.

"I've already investigated the extended Tohsaka relatives over the past several months." He said. "As Master Tokiomi said in the past, none of them are magi. Few indeed, have any knowledge of the existence of magic."

It had been a real shock to everyone in the Tohsaka camp six months ago when Risei had inquired as to why Tokiomi had yet to summon a Servant, despite the fact that command spells had been issued to him…or rather, they had been issued to **a **Tohsaka Master. The resulting uproar had been considerably amusing to Kariya, even more so as Tokiomi had issued instructions to investigate the rest of his family.

Ultimately though, it was decided that Kirei would serve in the war as a proxy for the Tohsaka or rather as Tokiomi's proxy, with Tokiomi not entering the war himself. Risei had offered to give Tokiomi a set of command spells, but surprisingly the man had refused. With tensions high between the Matou (sans Kariya) and the Tohsaka, it was felt to be too dangerous to risk word getting out, as well as the fact that as the Overseer, Risei would need all the command spells he had should the worst happen.

That didn't mean that Tokiomi had any intention of staying out of the war completely. Indeed, the plan was for Kirei to defeat a Master and then steal his command spells before turning them over to Tokiomi, making him the new Master of the former Master's Servant. Kariya had naturally protested about it, but as it wasn't actually against the rules of the war, he'd quieted down.

_And it wasn't like he had any real power within the Tohsaka camp, just a 'guest' currently harbored by the clan head._

"Then we'll proceed as planned." Tokiomi said with a sigh. "Kariya, you should leave soon."

"I still think that you're taking a huge risk by sending me to stay with Rin and Aoi." He pointed out, and the magus shrugged.

"Perhaps…" Tokiomi said. "…but I do not think so. The defenses of my in-laws are formidable enough on their own, and Zouken knows that going against me in such a fashion would not end well for either of us."

"You're using Rin and Aoi as tripwires." Kariya said coldly. "If they get hurt by Zouken coming after me, then you'll throw everything aside to destroy Matou no matter the cost…even if it means bringing down the Association on your and his heads. Such ruthlessness…that's just like you."

"I suppose it is." Tokiomi said with a smile.

"Be careful Tokiomi." Kariya said much to the magus' surprise. "Don't misunderstand me. I don't particularly care much for you, but I do owe you almost a year's worth of hospitality, so it's the least that I could do. And besides, if you end up biting the dirt, where would that leave Aoi and Rin? Or for that matter, Sakura…?"

Tokiomi stared hard at Kariya, who stared back just as hard. After several moments Tokiomi smiled and nodded, which Kariya returned curtly. "Your sentiments are appreciated." Tokiomi said. "Very well, for their sake, I will seek to ensure my safety as best as I can."

Kariya nodded, and made to leave the living room. A car was waiting for him outside the mansion, to drive him to where Aoi and Rin had taken refuge for the war's duration in Aoi's parents' house. However he came to a stop just before the living room door. "Kariya…?" Tokiomi asked.

"There's something that worries me." He said without turning to face them.

"And what might that be?"

"The 'Tohsaka Master' must either be of Tohsaka blood or be magically-recognized as such for the Grail to see them in that fashion, right?"

"That is correct."

"All family members have been outside the main line have been checked…?" Kariya asked, still not turning to face Tokiomi or Kirei.

"That's right." Kirei said.

"Then there would be two candidates who have not been investigated…" Kariya said, finally turning with a grim expression. "…main line members, Rin and Sakura Tohsaka."

"That's impossible!" Tokiomi breathed.

"Is it?" Kariya said. "Granted there would be the problem of either of them getting their hands on a catalyst, preparing and conducting the summoning but…what about an accidental summoning?"

Kirei looked at Tokiomi who was deep in hurried thought. "No…" he finally said after several moments. "…it's possible, but so unlikely as to be all but impossible. And even if either of them could summon a Servant, neither would be able to sustain it. No, they cannot be Masters. Not yet…not for a long time yet…"

Privately Kirei disagreed, thinking about the heavy prana collection activities of Caster, only recently being scaled back as other Servants and Masters had begun to arrive. What if Caster hadn't only been collecting prana as a reserve, but also as a means of sustenance due to his or her Master's lack of ability to sufficiently provide prana? He should say something but…

…he couldn't and didn't say anything. Something inside of him refused to let him voice his concerns.

"I hope you're right." Kariya said. "No, you're right. If Rin was the Master, then we'd already have seen her Servant. And if Sakura had been the Master, then Zouken would be dead. **You **would be dead. There is no way a child would not lash out after being abandoned to such a fate as you left her to, although I still hope that she was able to escape at the last moment."

There was silence for a long while, and then Kariya let out a heavy breath. "Sorry…" he said. "…I've spoken too much it seems."

"No, you're right." Tokiomi said wearily. "We would know if either of them were Masters, and I can't blame Sakura for hating me. I did after all, as you say, send her to hell. That is something that I will regret for the rest of my life, and I can only hope that if and when we meet again, she can somehow forgive me."

"I don't know." Kariya whispered. "Children are innocent, but that only makes them crueler. And even if she forgives you, she will not forget."

"And she shouldn't." Tokiomi said. "If she forgets, then she and Rin will just repeat my mistakes."

The silence stretched on for a few more moments, and then Kariya gave a polite bow before leaving Kirei and Tokiomi alone in the mansion. "How many Servants are in the city?" Tokiomi asked as they heard the front door open and close in the distance.

"All Masters and Servants are now accounted for…" Kirei replied. "…however including Berserker there should only be four Servants in the city. Assassin and Caster, Berserker, and one other who is most likely the Einzbern Servant given the active defenses around the Einzbern property."

"I see."

* * *

"What are those?" Nakajima Kikka asked Sakura as she took a small envelope from her bag.

"Magic charms…!" Sakura said happily, pulling three amulets from inside the envelope and handing them out to her friends. They took them cheerfully, complimenting her on the designs marking the paper, and not realizing that she had said nothing more than the literal truth.

"_The best lies are the ones with a grain of truth._" Caster had told her.

"_The best place to hide a tree is in a forest._" Assassin had told her.

Sakura had taken both pieces of advice, and used it to hide the truth from her friends. The truth masqueraded as a lie in plain sight, hidden in a forest of superstition and childish or popular superstition. As for the charms, there were improved models of one of her charms (also improved by this point) and gave magic resistance with a rank of C++.

Sakura was under no illusions that this would save them if any enemy deliberately targeted them. All she could do was to try and hope that she could avoid her friends from becoming unintended collateral of a magical attack.

"_It's the best that I can do._" She thought as her friends put the amulets around their necks. "_All that I can hope for now is…pray._"

"Hey Sakura-chan…?" Kikka asked her, and surprising Sakura out of her thoughts.

"Y-yes…?"

"Are you 'coming with us to have some ice cream?" Kikka asked, and Sakura checked her watch.

"I think it should be fine." She said. "As long as I get back to the temple before it gets dark."

"Okay!" Kikka cheered, and the other girls cheered as well before the four girls left the classroom to have something sweet to eat before heading home. For them, homework and family would be waiting. Sakura however had much more to worry about.

_It must be nice to be normal. I'm jealous…but…what we want and what we get in life aren't always the same. Isn't that right, Caster?_

* * *

A few days later would see Kiritsugu Emiya blowing out a stream of smoke as he drew a circle around the Grand Hyatt Hotel on the map of Fuyuki City spread out over the table before him. There were three other circles on the map: one around the Tohsaka property, another around the Matou property, and a third around Mt. Enzo, now the territory of the Servant of the Spell.

That last one had particularly worried Kiritsugu, as he had uncovered evidence that Caster had been around for quite a while now and had probably been gathering prana from the ley-lines (and from civilians in the city) all this time. And while Kiritsugu would normally be sanguine with attacking another magus, a Caster-class wasn't just another magus. It was all but guaranteed after all that Caster-class Servants would feature abilities and power beyond the ken of most magi.

_And with all that prana gathered…_

"It's going to be like cracking Fortress Europe." Kiritsugu muttered. "I'm going to have to draw him or her out. Anything else would be too much of a risk, or would require resources that I don't have. Alternatively I could just wait until towards the later part of the war, and then use Excalibur to destroy the mountaintop from a distance. Hopefully by then exposing Saber would be an acceptable risk."

_There were other people living in the occupied temple._

Kiritsugu dismissed the thoughts just as quickly as they had come. If the Holy Grail was what it was supposed to be, then the few dozen people living in the temple would be a small price to pay for the sake of lasting peace.

_One life to save ten, ten lives to save a hundred lives, a hundred lives to save a thousand lives…such is the path of least bloodshed. That is the path of justice._

"Kiritsugu…" Maiya called from around the door. "…the familiar's gone down. Most likely Lancer's Master put up bounded fields, or Lancer found it and killed it. Or…"

"Lancer's Master took it down himself." Kiritsugu finished with a nod. "Well Lancer's Master is probably the most dangerous Master in this war. He is Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi after all, and his competence as a _magus _can't be questioned. We'll see how well he digs in, and then make our decision."

Maiya nodded, but she already suspected that Kiritsugu already had a general strategy in mind with regards to Lancer and his Master. Kiritsugu however found his eyes being drawn towards Mt. Enzo again. He knew what lay beneath the mountain, and if Caster was as competent as he or she probably was, then he or she also knew as well.

_What will you do, Servant of the Spell? And should I risk targeting you first, or risk you taking advantage of the Grail in some way?_

* * *

Caster watched or rather spied on Rider and his Master (the latter most reluctantly it seemed) break into the city library. "_What could they be looking for?_" she wondered.

Rider looked formidable, and with that bull-drawn chariot of his Caster assumed that this was a king or hero of some sort from ancient times, and judging from the sword at his side was probably a countryman of hers. "_Oh joy…_" she thought dryly. "_…I don't imagine anyone apart from Hercules taking kindly to me. Hercules…now there was a hero and a man I could respect._"

She immediately changed the perspective to Lancer and his Master, and nodded approvingly at the scale of the latter's fortifications. Individually they were formidable for modern magi but relatively-weak to her…but collectively they would pose a challenge even to her. Modern magi would probably find them impenetrable. Bounded fields…traps…summoned demons…

_Not bad…_

As for Lancer though…he certainly was handsome, and he was quite muscular too. His long hair was combed back in a rough fashion, and his stoic features marked with veiled grief and regret just made him look even more attractive. And that wasn't even going into how his lean outfit emphasized his body…

"_Hmm…_" Caster mused while idly twirling a lock of her hair. "_…I wonder if there isn't something I should be doing…_"

…

…

…

_Wait a minute…_

Power rippled through her being and her face reddened and an eyebrow began to twitch as she realized that she'd been tricked. "_I'm going to kill him._" She thought darkly even as she quickly changed the perspective before whatever ability he'd been using to influence her could take effect…again.

_It's probably passive. He might yet be a tool or ally for us._

She couldn't find the Servants of either Matou or Tohsaka, which meant that they were in astral form (given that she already knew that all seven Servants had already been summoned). She did however find a blonde Servant in modern attire lounging with an albino woman in a European-style mansion out in the forests on the other side of the city.

_She's probably either Archer or Saber. She's much too calm to be a Berserker._

As she continued to watch the blonde and her Master, she began to notice something unusual about the woman. Even for a homunculus there was something that didn't seem quite right about her, and Caster found both her curiosity and alarm spiking in equal measure.

_I need to know more about her. Knowledge is power._

* * *

"You are trying too hard." Assassin observed, and Sakura opened her eyes and looked at him. As was usual in times like this, Assassin sat on a stool to one side of the gateway, however while Sakura would usually sit on the top stair, this time she sat on her knees on a straw mat that she brought out with her.

"What?"

"You shouldn't force yourself to calm down, or to forcibly clear your head." Assassin explained. "That actually defeats the purpose of it. Peace and balance cannot be imposed, any more than one can tame the typhoon. One must weather the storm, and only upon its passing can peace return to the land. It's the same with the self. Before one can achieve a state of inner peace, one must first weather the storm of passions within the self."

Sakura didn't look happy, and Assassin laughed. "It's a bit complicated isn't it?" he asked, and she nodded.

"It is."

"Then try and imagine something, a scene or anything, that normally calms you down." He said. "I did say one must weather the storm didn't I? But I never said that one cannot or should not find a mean to aid one's self in this goal."

"What do you use Kojiro-san?"

"Me…?" Assassin echoed before looking up at the starry sky. His expression turned distant, and when he spoke, there was a hint of wistfulness in it. "A sparrow…I see a sparrow in my mind, wheeling and flying in the clear blue sky."

"A sparrow…?"

"Yes." Assassin affirmed with a nod. "I've always wanted to catch a sparrow. But the sparrow is fast, and its mastery of flight absolute. But I still wanted to catch it. It became the focus of my life, the center of my skill with the sword. Therefore when I needed to calm myself, I thought of the sparrow, and of the utter focus I needed and attained to catch it."

Assassin paused and chuckled before smiling kindly at her. "One day you will understand…" he said. "…when you seek out the name of Sasaki Kojiro…"

Sakura nodded and smiled back. "Did you ever catch the sparrow?" she asked.

"I did." He admitted. "But that is a tale for another time."

"So…" Sakura began with her face scrunched up in thought. "…I should think of something I want…as a way to help me focus."

"Not necessarily…" Assassin disagreed. "…it can be that, but a better way to explain it is to find something to anchor the self to. Something that you can hold on to, until the storm passes and you can think clearly. And as you repeat this exercise in self-control, the memory of solidity and fastness that comes with repeated weathering of inner turmoil will etch itself in your soul. In time, even in the greatest crisis and the most harrowing experiences, your mind will remain clear and solid as a diamond. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. She stayed like that for several minutes, but Assassin noticed her fists and her face twitching from time to time. Eventually she opened her eyes and her expression turned sad. "I…" she began hesitantly. "…I'm sorry but…every time I try to hold onto something it just leads to…well…it just makes me so angry…or…or…"

"Or…?" Assassin urged her, and she seemed to shrink into herself.

"I feel afraid." She whispered, and to her surprise Assassin nodded with satisfaction.

"That's good."

"What?" she asked in shock.

"Before you can overcome your fears you must fear admit them." He said, and Sakura winced inwardly at forgetting that. Caster had already told her that before. "And before you can find your way, you must first admit that you are lost. You have no means to anchor yourself. What will you do now child?"

Sakura gathered herself up and thought deeply. Assassin looked on in silence, knowing better than to rush her contemplation of the self. Finally she gave an answer. "I…I have to find something new." She finally said. "A purpose…a dream…a memory…anything that will anchor me…"

Assassin nodded. "Well done…" he said. "…it will not be easy, and it will not come over time, but now that you have admitted that you need to find your place in the world, you can take your first step."

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Sakura quipped with a smile, and Assassin laughed.

"An old proverb…" he said with approval. "…but it is an apt one. Nevertheless it is getting late. That is all I will teach you for the night. Now, off you go back to Caster."

Sakura nodded as she got to her feet, and folding the straw mat she bowed to Assassin before heading back into the temple grounds. Assassin rose from his stool and once again took his place in the middle of the gateway. He stared down the stairway, and then gazed up at the sky. He smiled, and then he vanished into astral form.

* * *

A/N

DarkJackel: true, but personally I don't believe that Medea and Kojiro would deliberately corrupt a child. If she were 'normal' they'd probably corrupt her, but as a child they'd probably just give her diluted versions of their world view. It will distort her to an extent, but not enough to make her evil. As Kojiro said in this chapter, Sakura will 'find her own way'.

Guest: Rin's not good. Definitely not…she was more than willing to kill Sakura in Heaven's Feel, and Shirou had to stop her. I'm not saying that she's evil either, as she does care for Sakura, but she's either True Neutral or Lawful Neutral due to her conscious effort to maintain magus objectivity/amorality and her dedication to magus tradition and duty (IIRC at one point in Fate she derided Kiritsugu's memory for apparently telling Shirou that he should not aspire to be a magus).

Guess who Berserker is?

I'm not a student of Eastern philosophy, so I might have butchered it a bit, but that's basically what Assassin is teaching Sakura. Needless to say, she's probably going to be a bit borderline heretical as a magus (much like Aoko and Zelretch – wandering the world without a care and causing headaches for the Association).


	6. Chapter 5

I don't own Fate. Fate is the property of Type-Moon, and no financial gain is made from this or is sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Magic and Shadow

Chapter 5

A little girl in an elementary school uniform watched sadly from around a corner as Rin and Aoi Tohsaka happily chatted as they left a bakery across the street. "So happy together…" Sakura whispered sadly. "…even without me…you promised…that you wouldn't leave me alone…was it all a lie?"

Wiping at her tears, Sakura turned and left, heading back for Mt. Enzo and Ryuudo Temple. As she left Rin briefly caught sight of her, or rather would have had not it been for the shrouding effect of Sakura's charms. But it caused a reaction from Rin's magic circuits, prana subconsciously being cycled in an instinctive response to a form of mental interference. The young magus focused and streamlined the prana flow, and for a brief moment she saw another girl walking dejectedly away.

Even from the back she _knew_ that girl.

"Sakura…?" she said in surprise, at first walking and then running down the street ignoring her mother's admonishments. "Sakura…!"

Unfortunately even as she shouted her sister's name, Sakura's luck – already quite high thanks to another one of her charms – altered fate ahead of time. Normally it would probably have brought them together, but with Sakura currently dejected with the apparent realization that both her mother and sister were happy without her had no desire to see them, the altered fate worked against Rin, who fell backwards onto her butt as a nearby car's tire burst and caused it to widely spin down the road and nearly crushed her as it slammed into the safety railing.

Rin's shouts were drowned out by the sound of the burst tire and screeching wheels. Sakura briefly turned to look sharply at the accident, but with Rin's form hidden behind the crashed car any interest quickly evaporated and she continued on her way.

"Rin…!" Aoi shouted as she ran up to and knelt by her daughter. "Why did you run? You could have been hurt!"

"I…I'm sorry mom…" she began with an apology. "…but I saw Sakura so I…"

Aoi gasped in surprise before quickly getting to her feet and looking in the direction where Rin was pointing at. No good – the accident had drawn too many people to it, and Sakura – assuming that she hadn't already gone – would be nigh-impossible to find in the press.

_Not that Aoi could have seen her, given that she lacked magic circuits of her own. And even one as gifted as Rin was only able to pierce Sakura's veils for the briefest of moments…_

As it was Sakura returned home, seeking comfort from the one person she now believed actually wanted her.

* * *

Caster had not expected being told telepathically by Assassin that Sakura had returned in a most dejected fashion. She definitely did not expect Sakura to throw herself into her arms. And she most definitely did not expect Sakura to start crying against her.

_Did something happen?_

She refrained from saying anything further however, instead letting the girl sob in her arms, all the while stroking her hair in a comforting fashion. As the sobs began to subside a few moments later, Caster finally spoke up. "What's wrong?" she asked gently.

"I saw them." Sakura hiccupped. "Mama and sister…they were happy…it's like…it's like it doesn't even matter that I'm not there anymore!"

_Ah, so that's how it is._

"I hate them…" the little girl whispered, her hands clenching into fists. "…I hate papa for sending me away…I hate mama for not saying anything…and I hate sister most of all…she promised…she promised…our promise…she broke it!"

"Oh Sakura…" Caster said sadly. "…you shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not…?" Sakura snapped as she pulled back, reddened eyes flashing with reflected light. "It's true isn't it, about mama and papa? And sister…she said that we would be together forever! She said that she'd never leave me alone! So why shouldn't I…?"

Anything more she had to say was muffled as Caster pulled Sakura into an embrace. "Hate your parents if you must…" she whispered into Sakura's ear, and felt the little girl relax slightly. "…I cannot deny that they deserve your hatred…but your sister, she's just a child. She's just like you. There is nothing she can do but to follow your parents. That's why you shouldn't hate her, not until you're sure that she really is like them."

Sakura relaxed some more, burying her face against Caster. "I'm sorry." She said. "I…I'm sorry for getting angry at you, and…"

Sakura trailed off, and Caster smiled as she pushed Sakura back and began to wipe at her face. "It's alright…" she told Sakura. "…we all get angry from time to time. It's only part of being Human. What matters is that we are able to control our anger, and not let it control us. Properly controlled, anger is a good thing to have…"

"…just like fear…" Sakura finished, and Caster nodded.

"Yes. Just like fear and all emotions, the proper amount and moment make them useful things to have." Sakura nodded, and Caster's smile slipped slightly as the girl stared at her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You won't leave me right?" she asked, with a hint of longing in her voice. "You'll stay with me, won't you? Please…I…I don't want to lose you."

Caster looked sad, but only for a moment. Instead she smiled, and patted Sakura on the head. "Yes…" she said. "…I'll stay with you, and I will never leave you."

Sakura smiled back weakly. "C-can I…" she began hesitantly and blushing slightly.

"Yes…? What is it?" Caster gently urged her.

"I…can I call you mother?"

Caster's eyes widened in surprise, and her mouth opened and closed several times as she struggled to make a response. "I can't…?" Sakura asked, and Caster blinked and sighed before shaking her head. And then she smiled.

"You can if it makes you happy." She said, and Sakura threw herself at Caster again.

"Mother…mother…mother…" she whispered desperately as though trying to hold on to something important. Caster returned the embrace, but there was a bittersweet expression on her face. She knew all too well her record as a parent, and apart from her son Medus none of her children had ever fared well or had survived childhood. But worst of all, she **wanted **Sakura to call her mother.

_Mother Gaea…what have I done? I have allowed myself to grow attached to her, to someone that I am unworthy of. And she returns the sentiment. All that I can do now is to hope that history does not repeat itself._

* * *

A few hours later would see Assassin sitting on the top step of the stairway leading up to Ryuudo Temple, his senses pushed to their limit as he kept watch. Normally he'd do this in astral form to conserve prana, but around this time Sakura usually brought him food and tea. It was only polite to be in physical form when she arrived.

A series of soft footsteps behind him indicated Sakura's arrival, as did the muffled sound of a tray of food and tea being placed beside him. "I gather you and Caster have managed to work things out?" he asked as he took one of the rice balls.

"Yes…" Sakura answered with soft smile and a slight blush. "…Cast…no mother and I have worked things out already."

Assassin blinked in surprise and then he chuckled. "Somehow I'm not surprised that your relationship developed like this." He commented. "But then again you've always been close to her, even more than as a student. Well, you and her..."

Assassin trailed off as he sensed something, and placed the rice ball back on the plate. "Kojiro-san…?" Sakura asked in surprise.

"Sakura…" he said while getting to his feet. "…take the food and get back inside. Things are about to get busy it seems." He narrowed his eyes as he spotted a silver pinpoint in the distance, steadily eating up the distance as it aimed for Ryuudo Temple's only weakness: his gateway. The silver arrow flew unerring and true, and would no doubt have passed through the gateway to deal a devastating first strike on his Master and her Master's home…only to stop an inch before Assassin's face as he brought up his hands with precise timing and caught the arrow between them.

Sakura's mouth fell open in a perfect 'o' of surprise. She hadn't even seen the arrow coming, but Assassin not only had seen it, but had caught it between his hands with perfect calm. And he certainly noticed her expression if his slightly-smug smile was any indication. "When catching the sparrow…" he said. "…perception, speed, and focus are all of great importance."

Sakura nodded almost dumbly to signal her comprehension, and shook herself out of her stupor as Assassin reached over his shoulder and drew his sword. "Sakura…" he admonished her. "I told you to get back inside didn't I?"

"Y-yes!" she stammered out, grabbing the food and then rushing back inside the temple. Assassin smirked, and then his sword swept through the air in gleaming arcs, striking arrow after arrow out of the air, weaving a precise dance that littered the ground with broken arrows.

And he had yet to take a single step from his starting position.

"_Archer is strong._" He thought to himself. "_Should I attempt to block an arrow, my sword will break. But even if I can't block, I can still cut them from the air._"

Assassin smiled, and then his eyes widened as he saw a pair of arrows fly up into the sky only to break into a rain of countless projectiles over the mountain. His smile returned, and he took a step back over the threshold, the glowing rain splattering harmlessly against Caster's bounded field.

_Is this the best that you can do, Archer?_

* * *

Caster had been pensively grinding herbs and various minerals into powder with a mortar and pestle, every action robotic and lifeless as she engaged herself in a mental debate over whether or not to take the final step. It was rather academic really, given that she _was _already preparing the materials while doing so.

The surprise attack by Archer – as indicated by her bounded field against long-range magical attack – shook her out of her reverie. Setting aside her equipment, she brought up her viewing spell and witnessed Assassin cutting down arrows as fast as they came. She sighed and summoned her staff into her hand, and was pulling up her hood when Sakura burst into her room.

"The enemy…!" she gasped out. "Mother…the enemy's attacking!"

"I know." She said as she tapped the ground with her staff once. Sakura blinked as power rippled through the room and across the temple complex. "Stay here where it's safe. I'll take care of this."

Sakura nodded and hesitated ever so briefly. "Take care…mother…" she said, and Caster patted her on the head.

"I am **always **careful." She said with a smile. "But thank you."

_Not careful enough to avoid getting attached._

Sakura nodded and stayed behind as Caster strode out of the room, across the temple, and out into the open. She walked towards the gateway and made a gesture, catching one silver arrow in midflight and bringing it to her hand.

"I thought we agreed that there would be no interference in my fights." Assassin said neutrally. Caster ignored him, studying the arrow in her hand.

"So that mangy cat is here?" she said a moment later as Assassin cut down yet another arrow. "Assassin, watch the gate. I'll take care of this."

"An old friend of yours…?" he asked as she took to the skies. "Or just someone you knew?"

"Which is it I wonder…?" She said over her shoulder as she flew away.

* * *

"Lower your weapons!" the redheaded giant in the bull-drawn chariot roared, and both Saber and Lancer obeyed out of sheer shock. "The king has arrived!"

The giant paused ever so briefly to grin, and then continued. "I am Iskandar the King of Conquerors! I am the Rider of this war!" he introduced himself loudly, and the mouths of everyone present fell open. Except for his Master, who began tugging at his arm and loudly demanding to know what he was thinking. A flick to the forehead sent him tumbling to the floor.

"Fate has brought us all together to fight for the Grail." He continued. "But first, I would ask you all: what say you to surrendering your claim to the Grail to me? Should you choose to do so, then I shall hold you all as trusted friends and allies, and share with you the blessings of the Holy Grail!"

For a few moments there was only silence, and then both Lancer and Saber immediately began talking all at the same time, the former declaring that as a knight he could only surrender the Grail to his Master and to his Master alone, while the latter called Rider out for 'insulting' her with the idea that she would even consider surrendering her claim to the Grail. Rider immediately looked crestfallen. "I'm willing to negotiate…" he tried to say, only to be shot down by both Saber and Lancer at the same time. "…I hate it when negotiations fail."

"Furthermore…" Saber added. "…I myself am a king. As the rightful King of Britain, I cannot in good conscience lower myself to become the retainer of another, no matter how worthy they may be."

"Oh?" Rider said, his smile returning. "Well isn't this a surprise? Who would have thought that the great King of Knights to be such a young woman?"

Saber grinned dangerously, and took her stance. "Well then King of Conquerors…" she shot back. "…why don't you see what this woman is capable of?"

Rider's grin faded slightly, but any reply that he could have made was cut off as the Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi cut in. "Honestly…" he said from the shadows. "…what is it with all these Servants going on and on and ignoring their betters? Still, I was wondering who had the audacity to steal my relic, but to think that it was you Waver Velvet."

Rider glanced at his Master who was cowering on the chariot floor, holding his head and wondering what had possessed him to do such a thing. "I never suspected that you of all people would do such a thing, and yet here you are." The Lord El-Melloi continued. "It seems that I have to give you a special lesson in what it means to be involved in a battle to the death between magi!"

Waver whimpered in fear and terror…and then started when Rider placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling comfortingly at him like an old lion comforting one of its cubs. The giant then turned his face to the sky. "Hey you, whoever you are!" he shouted. "You imply that you would have been my Master? Don't make me laugh! Someone who doesn't have the courage to stand in the open with their Servant has no right to summon me into this world!"

A sound indicative of contempt was Kayneth's only reply, but before anything more could be said or done, all eyes turned to the distant sound and flashes of explosions. "What in the world?" Kiritsugu said in surprise, turning his night-vision goggles in their direction, the beams and explosions registering brightly.

"More Servants…?" Maiya surmised over the radio, and Kiritsugu couldn't help but agree.

"So it would seem."

On the ground Rider had apparently come to the same conclusion. "Hey, hey…" he said while pondering whether or not to fly over to where the other battle was taking place. "…it looks like Archer and Caster are having fun without us."

"Archer and Caster…?" Waver echoed. "How are you so sure that it's them?"

"Do you really think that Assassin would fight an open battle?" Rider asked in turn, and Waver inwardly marveled at the intellect beneath the giant's brutish exterior.

"What about Berserker?"

"Hmm that's a good point…" Rider conceded while grabbing his chariot's reigns. "…it's certainly not impossible, but I don't think that Berserker's fighting…yet. Judging from all these flashes of light a lot of ranged fire is involved. Berserker shouldn't have the ability to fight at range, and the fact that the battle hasn't ended yet means that both combatants are able to engage each other on even terms."

"And with everyone else here…" Waver finished. "…and with the reasoning that you just gave, that leaves Archer and Caster as the most likely combatants."

Rider nodded as he shook the reigns, lightning bolts erupting around his chariot. "Rider what are you…?" Saber asked as she took a step back.

"Sorry…" he said jovially. "…but from the look of things you lot aren't in a talking mood right now. I'm not giving up on having you in my army though, so think it over alright?"

"Rider…!"

The blonde shielded her face as Rider took to the skies. "Farewell for now Saber and Lancer!" he shouted back. "But right now, I wish to see the battle between the Archer and the Caster."

Saber stared after him, as did Lancer, but once again Kayneth El-Melloi cut in. "Lancer we're withdrawing." He said. "We must observe the battle between Caster and Archer as well."

"My lord…?" Lancer echoed in surprise. "But…!"

"Your battle with Saber can wait Lancer." Kayneth said dismissively, the magus focused on perhaps gaining knowledge about new mysteries by observing Caster fight. "And you have successfully wounded her with your Noble Phantasm. That should be enough for now. Withdraw – that's an order."

"I…" Lancer began, and then with a look of disappointment on his face he bowed to Saber. "…forgive me King of Knights. But I must obey my Master."

Saber regarded Lancer for a moment, and then she nodded once. Lancer then vanished into astral form, and Saber turned to Irisviel. "What now?" she asked.

"I don't know." Irisviel said. "We should probably watch the battle as well, but…"

The homunculus trailed off, and Saber wondered what her Master would do. "_Take Irisviel back to the castle._" Kiritsugu told her through their link. "_We need to know more about what we're dealing with when it comes to Archer and Caster, and wading into what's probably a chaotic melee is hardly the way to get it._"

"_I understand._"

* * *

Purple beams rained down from the sky, blowing glowing craters into the ground and reducing entire groves into smoldering splinters. "Come, come…" Caster taunted her foe as she rained death from above. "…is this the best that you can do, Atalanta?"

The catlike woman responded with a volley of arrows that would probably have been dead-on, had not she been preoccupied with avoiding getting roasted by Caster's beams. As it was Caster narrowly avoided the salvo, and then returned fire with a mass volley of her own. The ground and the sky for miles around went bright as day, if sunlight were purple, as the beams reduced several miles of forest to smoking ruins.

"Well you're as obtuse as ever Medea." Archer sneered as she landed nimbly a short distance from the blast zone, singed but otherwise unharmed. "And still as heavy-handed too, I see."

"I have no skill with 'proper' combat." Caster replied with a shrug, avoiding several arrows as she banked through the air and fired a series of beams behind her. The beams lanced through the air and reduced much of the stairway to rubble…and killing thousands of Zouken's familiars in one go. "Magic however, that's a different story."

"Fair enough…" Archer conceded as she and Caster continued to exchange fire, beams raining down from around the magus in the sky and arrows streaking upward with great accuracy from the archer.

"I'm surprised though." Caster observed after a while. "Why do follow such a mongrel considering your past?"

"He had a catalyst." Archer replied sourly. "I didn't have much choice, and then the bastard used two command spells on me."

"Ah I see…you have my condolences."

"Thank you…I think. My turn: what do you have in mind for that girl that you took from my Master?"

Caster smiled at the question. "She's a good student…" she began vaguely. "…and she might become more in time."

Archer scoffed before springing back and relaxing slightly. Caster did likewise, floating guardedly in the air, sensing much like Archer the approach of several other Servants. "I don't like you Medea…" Archer said. "…but I have to agree with your reasoning. There are worse things than death, and that girl…well I daresay that she's better off with you than with my maggot-ridden Master."

"That's literal." Caster commented, and Archer spat in disgust.

"That it is."

* * *

A/N

Guest: No, I don't know either why Assassin is Neutral Evil.

GGFBank: Just because Sakura won't go evil it doesn't mean that she's going to reconcile with her parents. Rin yes, but parents…? She's far too deep in Medea's influence by this point for that to happen, as indicated in this chapter.

Archer of Red's arrows can't be blocked…but no one ever said anything about cutting or catching them.

EDIT: research failure on my part - Atalanta and Medea were both Argonauts. I'll have to adjust accordingly.

Guest: Thanks for the heads-up...as for Atalanta being talky, well just chalk it up to a reunion between old comrades.


	7. Chapter 6

I don't own Fate. Fate is the property of Type-Moon, and no financial gain is made from this or is sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Magic and Shadow

Chapter 6

Steel flashed through the air, each swing cutting insects down by the score. Combined with a Servant's superhuman speed and endurance, each second would see hundreds of familiars falling in pieces down to the ground, and vile ichor pooling and trickling down the ruined stairway.

Caster's long-range barrage had taken out a huge chunk of Zouken's familiars sent to attack while Caster was busy with Archer, but even so enough were left to cause trouble for Assassin. Calling it 'trouble' was something of an overstatement though. They weren't a real threat to him, even with all their numbers, though it irked the proud swordsman that his proud sword was being used to cull vermin.

But there was something that worried him. And that was the charm that Caster gave him, the one that brought his magic resistance up to a Saber-class' level, burning hot against his skin.

_That can't be good._

There was something else behind this attack something that he just knew would have boded ill for him if not for Caster's charm. "Sakura…" he called as he continued to stem the tide. "…how much longer…?"

"Just a little more…!" the little girl shouted back, tossing reagents and powders seemingly at random into an iron pot, a circle of runes glowing faintly around its base. Despite Caster's admonishments, she'd come out to help Assassin fight, her face clearly showing an ongoing struggle to fight the terror brought about by seeing so many Matou familiars swarming at the temple.

Fortunately the Matou familiars were all trapped in the 'corridor' of the stairway, as the bounded fields on the rest of the mountain would have killed them all in an instant. "It's ready!" Sakura finally shouted, covering her face with a cloth to avoid the fumes pouring from the concoction in the pot.

Assassin grunted in response, turning full-circle as he did so, his sword flashing in an elegant flourish around him. Familiars were felled, and a narrow groove was cut into the stone ground.

Sakura poured her creation into the groove, the red-purple fluid hissing and smoking as it filled the groove and flowed down the steps. Matou familiars were melted away, or perished as the fumes ate into them as they flew on insectoid wings over the stairs.

The few remaining familiars drunkenly swarmed together and fled, Zouken apparently unwilling to waste anymore of his familiars – and by extension his soul – in what was clearly a failed attempt to break through. "They're gone." Assassin finally said a moment later, his senses making certain of his statement.

Sakura fell back wearily, and uncovered her face before coughing heavily. She looked quite pale too. "You alright there, little lady…?" Assassin asked.

"I'm fine…I think." She replied, still looking quite ill.

"You should go and lie down then." He said. "You can leave your pot here. I'll tell Caster about what happened, and she'd probably want to see what you made. What was it anyway?"

"I don't know." Sakura admitted with a blush. "I just did what mother told me **not **to do when it comes to brewing things and well…"

Sakura trailed off sheepishly, and managed to make Assassin look a bit perturbed at her explanation. "I-I see…" he said with a cough, and then looked at her sharply as she began coughing again. "…off you go then, it's probably best if you get some rest by the time Caster has a chance to look you over."

Sakura nodded and shakily got to her feet, and made her way back to the temple complex. Assassin shook his head at the sight and then turned his gaze to the ruined and partly-melted remains of the stairway. "_Magic and children…_" he thought with a mix of wonder and exasperation.

* * *

"Alalalai…!" Rider roared as he crashed into the midst of the ruined forest, Archer somersaulting back several times to open the range. Caster for her part was seemingly firing random shots of lightning into the sky.

Archer immediately leveled her bow at Rider who grinned at her. "Peace friend…" he said with raised hands, and she relaxed somewhat. Caster too reduced her altitude to an extent the better to hear what the giant Servant wanted to say. "…I come here in peace, and to give an offer and to seek an answer in peace."

"Then speak Rider." Caster said. "And while I have little respect for the gods, _you _might be different. Therefore in Zeus' name speak under the protection of sacred truce and parley."

"Well now I certainly never expected to meet a countryman – or a countrywoman I should say – in this contest." He said while thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "Though I suppose it should be expected…very well, I am the Rider, Iskandar the King of Conquerors!"

The last set of words was delivered with a proud and booming voice, and both Archer and Caster traded glances with each other. "Certainly this contest involves seven Servants fighting each other to the death for the one and only Holy Grail…" Rider continued unabashedly. "…but that need not be the case among great and noble heroes."

"_Great and noble heroes…?_" Caster thought disparagingly. "_Hercules aside, all too many of us were monsters masquerading as something else._"

"_What are you thinking Medea?_" Archer thought simultaneously, knowing quite well her friend's experiences with 'heroes'.

"…and so I ask of you…" Rider continued. "…surrender your claims to the Grail to me, and to join my great army as friends and allies. Together we shall conquer the world, and share the blessings of the Grail for one and all! What say you?"

Caster tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Alexander the Great…" she finally said after several moments. "…legend and history both paint you as a genuinely great man…this offer might actually be quite genuine. But alas, I must refuse this offer. I too have my own desire after all, as does my Master."

Caster paused and tilted her head. "You are a dangerous man Rider." She said with her trademark smile. "One would think that exposing your true name is a catastrophic mistake, an act of recklessness that would lead to your ruin…and yet, when you invaded Persia, you did so with only an army of fifty thousand…and in the end you sat on the throne of the Great King."

"And what of it…?" Rider asked as jovially as ever, and Caster laughed aloud.

"The True Name equates life to those who command power…" she quoted. "…but you King of Conquerors will not be conquered so easily."

"That goes without saying…" Rider said with a nod. "…but while I am sorry to hear your refusal, I still hold onto the hope that things might change in time, and so I ask that you keep my offer in mind, Caster."

Caster smiled. "We shall see." She said, and Rider turned to Archer.

"And what say you Lady Archer?" He asked, but the catlike woman stayed silent with her bow held in a relaxed but guarded manner.

"You'll have to forgive Archer…" Caster said with a smirk. "…she's not a particularly talkative one, unless you actually get close to her."

Archer glared at her, and Caster's smile widened. "Oh…?" Rider mused aloud. "You knew each other in life I take it?"

"We were…colleagues…one could say." Caster said with a shrug.

"Is that so?" Rider said with a grin. "A powerful Greek sorceress and a beastlike woman skilled with the bow, who once worked together…I think I have a fairly good idea who you might really be Caster."

Caster's smile went out like a light, and she narrowed her eyes behind her hood. The King of Conquerors was certainly as intelligent as his reputation demanded. But before she could say anything, a powerful surge of prana filled the air. Eyes turned towards Archer, who narrowly avoided a powerful downward swing of a strange-looking mace that pummeled a crater into the ground, crackling with lightning.

"Berserker is it?" Rider murmured. "Boy, what can you tell me?"

Waver peered over the chariot's rim, watching the battle between Berserker and Archer. Above them Caster rose higher to avoid getting pulled into the fighting. "She…is she really a Berserker?" he finally said in disbelief.

"What makes you say that?" Rider asked in his turn.

"Her stats…" Waver answered. "…they…her highest stats are only B-rank."

"Is that so?" Rider said. "Interesting…however a fight between heroes can't be decided by mere numbers. And she's certainly pressing Archer hard, making sure that she can't open the range for her arrows."

"_Atalanta's holding back._" Caster thought on her end. "_She's certainly faster than this. Is she trying to spite her Master by risking getting crushed by that mace? However…_"

Caster narrowed her eyes as she observed Berserker's weapon. "_That is no weapon._" She finally concluded. "_That is a masterpiece of techno-magical construction. Whoever built it is or rather was a true genius, unworthy of the modern era. I would dearly love to examine it…but it's unlikely that I would get the chance to do so._"

Meanwhile Archer and Berserker continued to fight or rather the former danced and pranced to avoid the latter's crushing blows. A misstep on Archer's part seemed to prove fatal however, but even as Berserker brought her weapon down to deliver the final blow, Archer sidestepped and swept past her with such speed as to visibly displace the air.

Waver cried out and fell back onto the chariot floor as the displaced air blew outwards in a powerful blast of wind. Caster and Rider alike smirked though, clearly recognizing that Archer had gotten serious…as did Berserker.

The silent woman avoided Archer's arrows with surprising agility, the silver arrows flying past her to reduce a hill to rubble. And then the ground beneath her feet exploded with the force of her steps, as she rushed Archer with near-equal speed. Archer was still faster though, maintaining the distance while continuing to rain arrows against her pursuing enemy…arrows which Berserker managed to dodge with surprising ease.

Caster smirked at the expression on Archer's face. Her stoicism was such that most people wouldn't be able to read it, but Caster knew her well enough: Archer was getting irritated by some nobody keeping up with her.

_Should I help out or…?_

She gestured with her staff and magic circles came to life around her. Rider looked at her askance. "What are you doing Caster?" he asked. "Surely you don't mean to involve yourself in this battle?"

Caster paused, very much to her surprise. The truth was that she had gotten rather bored of the battle – as she already knew about all of Archer's tricks, and she needed some time to study Berserker's abilities – and she didn't want the grounds around Mt. Enzo getting too damaged, since she'd have the responsibility of cleaning things up before outsiders noticed.

So she shrugged instead, and aimed her magic circles elsewhere. "No, I suppose not." She said to Rider, and then she fired. Archer and Berserker alike ceased fighting and sprang back as Caster blew seemingly random patches of the forest into smoking rubble.

"This battle should end now." She said. "We are being watched. It would not do for all of us to be compromised so early now would it?"

Personally Rider disagreed with the idea, as he believed that heroes should fight without the need to hide their identities. Apparently however the enemy Masters agreed with Caster's assessment, as after a moment Archer grimaced and gave a glare at Caster – which she returned with a surprisingly apologetic smile – before vanishing into astral form.

Berserker then turned and stared up at Caster. The two women engaged in a battle of wills for several moments before Berserker gave way, and then she too vanished into astral form. "There was no need to do that Caster." Rider chided her, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'd rather not expose my secrets to Archer's Master, and to two others." She said dismissively. "Unlike your Master, they are most unlikely to be…sympathetic. And besides, I live in this area. I'd rather that we don't leave it too hard or too problematic to clean up."

Rider's good mood immediately returned as he burst out laughing. "Housekeeping…?" he asked. "That's a rather audacious way of calling it."

"Please don't call it housekeeping." Caster responded sourly, and she grew even sourer as Rider laughed again.

"Oh alright..." Rider said with a nod. "…well I suppose apart from Assassin – and maybe Berserker given her limitations – I managed to get my message across. And I certainly don't want to overburden you, so I suppose I could call it a night. Still Caster, think my offer through. For what's it worth, I do think that you were treated unfairly, and you have my condolences."

"They are not needed." She replied coldly. The _last _thing that she wanted from anybody was pity. She would accept that from no one, not men, not kings, not the gods, and most certainly not from heroes.

"My apologies…" Rider said sincerely as lightning erupted around his chariot. "…I did not mean to offend, nor did I pity you. You have my sympathy that is all."

Caster nodded curtly, and she looked on in silence as Rider left on his chariot. "_Men and heroes…_" she thought contemptuously, the darker side of herself bubbling up to the surface. "_…I should start teaching Sakura about their treacherous natures. I wouldn't want her to fall for that trap, no I certainly do not._"

* * *

"Archer…" Zouken said slowly as his familiars swarmed and fused together to reform his body. "…you disappoint me."

The catlike woman stayed silent, and didn't flinch when Zouken turned to regard her with his soulless eyes. "Not only did you fail to adequately distract Caster…" he continued. "…you held back not once, but three times. First against Caster, second against Rider, and lastly against Berserker…answer me child, why?"

"You would have me attack Rider, who invoked truce and parley?" Archer finally responded. "Dishonorable cur…if you wish for a reason, then I shall give it. You only commanded me to draw Caster away. You never commanded me to fight with my all, or to attack other Servants."

Zouken silently glared at her, a glare which she returned without fear. She had stared down Phantasmal Beasts in life, and a dying magus of the modern world paled in comparison. Even restrained by two command spells – the first stopping her from killing him and the second ensuring that she obeyed his every order – she had nothing to fear from him.

One: her magic resistance was high enough that Zouken assaulting her would result in a net loss for him.

Two: if he pushed her too far her magic resistance was also high enough that she could resist the first command spell long enough to kill him.

Three: if he used his third and final command spell for some unfathomably stupid reason, then he would be signing his own death warrant.

Four: he knew this.

"Caster…" Zouken continued. "You know her, don't you?"

Archer again remained silent. "Answer me Archer." He ordered.

"Her name is Medea…" She answered. "…the Princess of Colchis, and a priestess of Hecate. Beware old man: she is beyond you as a magus or as a schemer. Challenge her and die, I care not."

Zouken chuckled. "Do you now?" he asked. "And if I die, then what happens to you and your wish?"

"It will be a small price to pay to end an abomination like you." she said, and it was her turn to smirk as the old man's smile went out like a light as he realized the extent of her ruthless disgust and hatred of him.

Zouken followed her with his eyes as left the basement. "Do not even think about contacting Caster on your own, woman." He warned her, and she paused over the threshold. She glanced silently at him for a moment, and then continued on her way.

* * *

"Honestly…" Caster said in exasperation as she ran a check over Sakura, who was tucked into a futon in their room. "…I told you stay inside, didn't I?"

"Sorry…" Sakura said. "…but I just wanted to help."

"Not only that, you completely ignored all the rules that I taught you when brewing potions and elixirs. You're lucky that whatever it was you came up with didn't blow up in your face."

"Sorry…"

Caster sighed and after a moment she ran a hand through Sakura's hair. "It's alright." She said. "Just don't do it again, you're too young to be fighting battles."

_She's too young to be involved in the Grail war anyway…_

…_however…_

…_if she didn't get involved, then where would she be?_

"Okay, I promise." Sakura said, and Caster smiled at her. She smiled back, and then she closed her eyes. Caster stayed with her until she fell asleep, and then she quietly left the room for her workshop.

Once there she picked up and examined again the partly-deformed mass of Sakura's pot. "_She's definitely lucky it didn't melt or explode._" She thought as she tossed the pot into the refuse bin. And then she used her viewing spell to see what the other Masters were doing.

* * *

"Caster…" Sola said as she reviewed the information that Kayneth's familiars managed to get about Caster and Archer before being destroyed by Caster. "…she is a magus from the Age of Gods we can be certain of that much."

"How so…?" Lancer asked.

"Those beams she used." Sola replied. "The magic circle as a base is simple enough for a modern magus to construct, but actually actualizing the mystery it embodies would require a ten-count aria and a full minute of casting."

"Thirty seconds…" Kayneth corrected. "…a magus with sufficient skill could cast a beam with just a thirty second cast time. However that would only be one beam. And the prana requirement for that is enormous in itself. Caster however could cast them with but a gesture, and in mass volleys at that."

He broke off and shared a glance with Sola who gave a nod. "Divine Words." She said.

"What's that?" Lancer asked.

"It is what it is…" Kayneth explained. "…divine language from the Age of Gods, when words had meaning in themselves and were not merely representations. It is a gift lost to modern magi."

"A magus with Divine Words would be unrestricted by the limitations of magic circuits and arias." Sola added to his brief explanation. "Magic circuits after all, are what allow modern magi to access the world's fundamental structure to perform miracles. However with Divine Words one gains a measure of divine Authority, allowing one to actualize even High Thaumaturgy with but a word or a gesture. The evidence of that is obvious given all those beams from earlier are A-rank High Thaumaturgy."

"Also…" Sola continued with a brief chuckle. "…her requirements as a Servant aside, there's also a possibility that for magi with Divine Words, prana isn't much of an issue."

"What makes you say that?" Kayneth asked with reserved surprise.

"Mysteries are actualized by means of od, which is generated and stored in one's magic circuits." Sola replied. "How a mystery functions depends on how it is released into the world. Maintaining the mystery is then dependent on the world's own mana, though the stability of the magic system would influence how long and how well the mystery will be maintained. But…Divine Words supersedes magic circuits do they not?"

"I see." Kayneth said with a nod. "Yes it makes sense. Od would be redundant when words are enough."

"Precisely…"

"However that doesn't really help us much." Kayneth said. "Every magus of the ancient world possessed Divine Words…"

"We know that she's connected to Archer in some way…" Sola pointed out. "…and she's apparently Greek too."

"Circe, Medea, Pasiphae, Agamede, Alcimede…" Kayneth wondered aloud. "…well that narrows things down to an extent. As for Archer…hmm…was there ever a witch connected to an Amazon?"

"I'm not certain…" Sola said. "…I will have to check to make certain."

Kayneth nodded his thanks, but she barely noticed. In truth Sola doubted that Archer was an Amazon, and much like Rider she already had a good inkling of who Caster really was. Of course she wasn't certain, but if it was **her**, then perhaps she, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, might be able to find a sympathetic ear to her problems.

_If anyone can understand and assist me, then it will be the dread sorceress Medea herself._

* * *

A/N

Seriously though, Berserker of Black is really weak for a Berserker. However that's only stat-wise, as her Noble Phantasm Bridal Chest boosts her abilities to a significant degree in battle. Furthermore even as a Berserker she's not particularly high-maintenance either, which is pointed out in Apocrypha as suiting her Master – who isn't that talented/gifted as a magus either – so Kirei shouldn't have too much trouble with Berserker.

Kishinokurobi: Then we'll just have to agree to disagree.


End file.
